


To Whom We Are Bound

by Kerochan no Miko (Lanyare)



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-02-08
Updated: 2008-02-08
Packaged: 2018-09-07 01:32:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 43,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8777845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lanyare/pseuds/Kerochan%20no%20Miko
Summary: Destiny had called them to protect their prince, and destiny would not be denied.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** The Shitennou of this story are a little anime, a little manga, a little PGSM, and a little my own invention. So if they do something that strikes you as non-canonical, just...assume that they were different during the era of the Silver Millennium. Or something.

* * *

Long had the king and queen been childless, much to the consternation of those who wished to see the continuation of their peaceful reign. When the queen was finally with child, the people rejoiced, and when she finally brought forth a male heir, the entire kingdom burst forth into celebration. The royal priests and mages, however, after the obligatory nod at joy, took it as a signal to get to work. The auguries were cast and the stars read, and dark was the oracle's countenance when he brought the results to the king. Great danger lay in store for the infant prince, but fate was not unhelpful; four others there were, somewhere in the kingdom, born with the power and destiny to become his protectors.

The king nodded gravely and gave the expected orders, and thus began the long years of searching. The kingdom was vast, its people varied; many claimed to have found one of the destined children, seeking their own fortunes by selling their own children, but the mages only shook their heads and sent the attention-seekers away. Finally, almost at the end of the prince's fourth year, what was clouded abruptly became clear, and the oracles identified the ones they sought.

The first was found amidst the upper nobility, a boy of ten whose blood was nearly as blue as the prince's. The boy, whose hair was pure silver-white despite his youth, insisted that his true calling was the sword, but destiny could not be denied. He had the gifts, and would use them in the service of his kingdom, and therefore he was brought to the palace – not sulking, for sulking would be beneath his dignity, but in a less than pleasant mood.

The second was found in the family of a wealthy merchant, one who had the wealth of the nobles but none of the dignity. His parents despaired of what to do with their child, for his gifts had come upon him early, and he lived in a waking dream, more fascinated with his visions than with mundane matters such as chores and lessons. They had intended to apprentice him to the mages on his tenth birthday, as soon as he was old enough, and were delighted to be rid of him three-quarters of a year early. And so the scarlet-haired boy was brought to the palace, though he scarcely seemed to notice the change of venue.

The third was a pampered and cosseted only child of the widow of a minor landowner, herself thought to be distinctly eccentric, if not outright mad. Though only seven, the boy aped the manners of an adult courtier, and accepted the calling with aplomb, seeing the benefits for both himself and his mother's status. His mother pouted and pleaded, but the delicate-seeming blond calmly bowed and took his leave of her, accompanying the mages back to the palace to join the older two.

The fourth had barely reached his sixth year, but already had the reputation of a minor terror in his village. His dimpled face still bore traces of infant chubbiness, his mop of tousled golden curls lending him a cherubic appearance that was belied by the slimy toad he managed to slip into one mage's tea and the "alterations" to a chair which sent another one crashing to the ground when he tried to sit. His six older sisters kissed him goodbye, but secretly thanked their luck that they would no longer have to shake out their shoes whenever putting them on. And so the youngest was brought to the palace, eyes gleaming with the chance for new mischief.

All four were confirmed to be those destined to become the guardians of the prince, and were given preliminary testing and rigorous training to prepare for the ceremony to take place on his fifth birthday. As expected, they proved quite capable, with potential to become quite powerful; had they not been chosen for this role, they would all have been quite welcome in the ranks of the mages, and would likely have risen to the top ranks.

The day finally came, and the four were presented before the open court. They stood in front of the royal dais in their gleaming white uniforms with scratchy gold braid, attempting not to look uncomfortable (an effort at which only the eldest succeeded).

The trumpets sounded and, as they had been taught, they turned and knelt before the dais. The high priest of Elysion stepped up to them and began to weave his magics before their upturned faces. "The four of you I bind forever," he declared, in his sonorous voice, undimmed by his advanced age. "Bound in heart and soul as one, as brothers closer than blood kin, united in purpose and power. Destiny claims you as its own, the four chosen warriors, with reign over the north, the west, the south, the east. Let your former names be forgotten as the temporary things they were, and be newly-christened. Kunzite. Nephrite. Zoisite. Jadeite." As he spoke, he traced writing in the secret language of the priests, inscribing it with white fire over the boys from eldest to youngest. With a flick of his wrist he finished and the words seemed to expand, encasing them all in a single globe; though it was initially bright enough that the watching courtiers were forced to shield their eyes, it slowly contracted and shaped itself to form around the four boys, its fire dimming slightly as it became a linked chain binding them together.

Then the king and queen emerged onto the dais, the young prince between them, and the four boys respectfully bowed their heads in unison. The king moved forward, extending a hand toward the kneeling youths, and the glow surrounding them took on a momentary hint of gold. "On this day, now, swear your fealty to prince and kingdom. Guide him, guard him, obey him. Let the power you bear keep him safe, and bring honor and peace to our land."

Again in unison, the boys slowly lifted their faces to behold their new master, then carefully drew the gleaming new swords they had been given and set them point-down against the floor. "To you, Prince Endymion, we pledge our loyalty," they recited, the words having been drilled into them until they could have repeated them in their sleep. "Our bodies, minds, and hearts are now and forever in your service, to your defense and the defense of the kingdom. To this oath we are sworn, until death or our master releases us, or the world ends."

The black-haired boy walked forward to the edge of the dais, looking at each of the four in turn, then abruptly smiled and replied, dignity in his young voice, "I accept."

With that the bindings abruptly contracted, disappearing within the hearts of the four fledgling Shitennou. The four slowly rose, sheathing their swords once more, and turned to face the courtiers as cheers filled the chamber to bursting.

* * *


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** We might be moving into slightly AU territory, but there really isn't a whole lot of actual canon when it comes to the Earth Kingdom in the Silver Millennium times. So, uh, I'm kind of making it up as I go along.

* * *

The palace of the king of the Golden Kingdom was a structure both beautiful and functional. The local stone with which it was built was predominantly white, shot through with veins of quartz which caught and fractured the light at the right times of day, but the layout and high walls spoke of an awareness that the glittering structure might very well be needed for defense as well.

Within the castle proper was one particular wing built to focus around a large, open central chamber. This chamber was pierced by six doors – four to the individual sleeping chambers of the Shitennou, one to the prince's chambers, and the last back out of the wing into the palace. The intention was to keep the prince's bodyguards between him and the world for protection, not that there had been any sign of the foretold danger at any point in the last thirteen years. Despite all its careful defenses, the kingdom was peaceful as it had always been, and the monarchs and their son were well-beloved by their people.

Some wondered if perhaps the prophesies had been wrong, somehow. Some had long forgotten them. But for the Shitennou, the awareness of potential danger was a part of their daily lives. Had it not been for that, after all, they would not have the callings that they did, would not have been brought together, would not have grown up as companions together with the prince.

On one particular day, shortly after the prince's eighteenth birthday, the four Shitennou were gathered in the central chamber as they often were – each caught up in his own pursuits, but still together, enjoying each others' company. When the prince entered, however, they immediately rose to their feet and, while not quite snapping to attention, were clearly ready for command. He, however, only smiled and gestured for them to be seated, then took to his own accustomed chair. "Gentlemen," he said, "I'm sure you have heard the rumors of a diplomatic delegation coming from the moon kingdom?"

Almost instantly the atmosphere in the room changed. The four men exchanged glances, their posture a little more tense now. "We have," Kunzite finally replied, acting as a spokesman for the group.

"And you aren't happy about the idea," Endymion dryly observed, as he surveyed the expressions of his four companions.

"Why would the moon people _want_ to come here, my lord prince?" Jadeite half-rose from his chair as the words burst forth from him. "They look down on us, like we're some superior breed of _pet_. What is this, their visit to the kennel–" The man cut himself off at a gesture from the prince and sat back down again, face flushing bright pink.

Endymion sighed quietly. "I know the relations between our two kingdoms have been...strained." Jadeite snorted loudly in response, but subsided once Kunzite turned to glare at him. "This is why the emissary's visit is so important," Endymion continued, as though he hadn't been interrupted. "The policy of no contact between our peoples has done nothing but foster mutual suspicion and intolerance. This needs to change, before things get even worse than they already are."

Nephrite abruptly stiffened in his chair as a faint hint of light seemed to flicker over his form, drawing the eyes of the others in the room. "I fear it is too late, far too late," the man observed, his voice soft and eyes focused on something unknown in the distance. "War will come whether we wish it or not."

"You have seen something?" Kunzite straightened from his casual pose, casting an intense glance at the younger Shitennou.

"Mists and shadows, vague and fleeting. No details. Nothing solid." Nephrite shrugged, gradually focusing back on Kunzite again with apparent reluctance. "Only a sense of impending disaster. Soon. And it starts with the envoy's visit, somehow."

"Does the envoy's visit _start_ the trouble, or does it simply coincide with the beginning of it?" Though his tone was casual, the look Endymion gave the red-haired seer was anything but. He was determined to make the delegation's visit a successful one, that much was quite obvious.

Nephrite turned to meet the prince's gaze, expression quite serious. "No. The impressions I'm getting are even less clear than usual. I cannot say either way. But - my prince, I feel in my heart that an alliance with the moon kingdom is ill-advised."

Endymion nodded slightly, expression thoughtful, then turned to the two who had yet to voice an opinion. "Kunzite? Zoisite? Do you agree with your brothers?"

The two glanced at each other for a long moment in silent communication; Zoisite finally shrugged and looked away, and Kunzite spoke for both of them. "Your highness, though Zoisite feels more strongly than I, we are both...wary of the moon people, for a number of reasons. However, no matter what, you are our prince and master. We will obey your command."

The prince rose to his feet, setting his shoulders in a pose his men recognized and automatically reacted to without even being aware of it; when he spoke, it was a command, and they listened. "This visit _will_ go well – whether or not we reach some kind of treaty is not what matters. My objective is simply for them to see us as a civilization worth making an alliance with. Let them see us as we truly are, and then they can decide if they are willing to accept us at a later date."

The Shitennou rose to their feet in near-perfect unison and bowed. Despite their individual misgivings and opinions, they were still one in spirit and intent, still fiercely loyal to their prince and willing to serve. "Yes, your highness," they replied.

oooooooooo

In the still darkness of the night, Zoisite quietly opened the door to his bedchamber and was unsurprised to find Nephrite seated cross-legged on the floor of the common room, almost perfectly in the center of the square of moonlight filtering through the window.

"Of what do your stars speak, my brother?" Zoisite asked softly, pacing closer with silent tread.

"Destruction. War. Bloodshed." As the younger Shitennou drew nearer, Nephrite bowed his head as though he could no longer bear to look skyward. "I am afraid, Zoisite. I fear for the kingdom, I fear for the prince. Our world is almost at an end, but I cannot see exactly how or why."

Zoisite lowered himself to one knee and reached out to rest a hand on Nephrite's shoulder. "We are here because danger was foretold, remember. It is not unexpected."

"I am not usually this _blind_." Nephrite sighed, reaching up and absently rumpling his hair with one hand. "If only I knew what the danger was, then maybe I could warn the prince of it, or tell Kunzite to kill it, or _something_. I just feel...useless."

Zoisite's mouth twisted in a wry grin. "You'll figure it out. You always have, though I'm never quite sure how anyone can translate that weird gibberish you get."

Nephrite finally turned to look at his brother at that point; Zoisite was mildly alarmed by the look he saw in the other man's eyes, but it disappeared too quickly for him to put his finger on why. "I would welcome gibberish right now," he replied. "I asked what would trigger disaster, what one thing would be the cause of everything, and only got one word in reply."

"And that word was...?" Zoisite finally prompted, after several moments' silence.

"Love."

oooooooooo

Nephrite's sense of foreboding only grew as the days passed, but he was still helpless to give any real detail when asked. He grew even more distant, if that were possible, attempting to find some kind of answer to give the prince before the delegation's arrival, but when the day finally came he still had nothing. Unfortunately for the Shitennou, he was looking in the wrong direction; the immediate danger did not come in the form of a warrior or a demon or something that might be recognized as a threat.

As it turned out, the one who posed the largest danger to the prince was the small blonde girl who lurked at the rear of the party as the delegation arrived, veiled and unremarkable amidst the pomp and splendor of the emissary's other companions. She passed unnoticed by most, and those who did pay any attention to her generally dismissed her as a servant or minor functionary, unimportant and about as visible as a piece of furniture.

This was partially due to the fact that the emissary himself was quite striking in appearance, enough so that almost all the eyes in the room were drawn to him. His rank was never explicitly stated, but it was implied that he was some kind of minor noble and advisor to the queen. But his exotic looks and the gleaming crescent on his brow, combined with his sheer innate charisma and manner kept all eyes fixed upon him – especially those belonging to the females in the room. Compared to him, his companions were nothing.

That was, of course, just as the girl's mother wished it. Princess Serenity had begged and implored her mother to allow her to visit the Earth for so long that the Queen had finally allowed it – but only on the condition that she travel in complete anonymity. It seemed a good idea for her daughter to see the Earth kingdom without the pomp and pretense that would surround a state visit, not to mention the threat to her safety should certain reactionary factions learn of her presence.

At the audience, though, Endymion found his eyes drawn back to the veiled girl repeatedly, for no reason he could name. There was nothing special about her, no particular beauty or striking feature visible, nor did she seem to have any discernible rank. Her careful anonymity was well-crafted, and nothing about her _should_ have caught his attention – though that was perhaps exactly why she did. The one plain flower amidst a garland of roses did tend to attract notice.

He had his duty to fulfill, though, and after he gave himself a mental shake and stern order not to be distracted by small things, did it well. The delegation was greeted with all the formality the kingdom could muster, polite greetings were exchanged, and after the visitors had been shown to their quarters, the Shitennou gave a collective sigh of relief.

As the four men stood on the dais, watching the last courtiers file out of the room, Jadeite absently tugged at his collar, grimacing at the stiff braid edging it. No matter how long he'd worn the uniform, it always itched. "I swear they make these things uncomfortable on purpose," he muttered.

"It's a good thing they are," Kunzite observed in a dry voice, without bothering to look at the younger man. "Knowing you, you'd likely fall asleep on your feet if you didn't have an annoyance like that to keep you awake."

Jadeite only flashed a cheeky grin at that. "I'm not here to stand around and look pretty, like _some_ people," he retorted. "The life of a diplomat was never one for me. Just point me at a demon that needs to be killed, and I'll show you what I'm meant for."

Kunzite arched one pale brow in decided disbelief. "Oh? Judging from your performance on the practice grounds yesterday, you're meant for tripping over your own feet and taking out enemies and allies alike."

A bright flush crept over Jadeite's cheeks as Zoisite joined the banter, clapping the youngest Shitennou on the shoulder as he gave an amused chuckle. "That practice dummy will never be the same, though. I've never seen anything like it."

Jadeite shrugged Zoisite's hand off, some irritation creeping into his voice. "Care to join me on the practice grounds, then? I'll show you exactly what I can do. That is, if you think you can beat me."

"Of course he can," Kunzite replied for the other man, then gestured for Jadeite to precede him. "To the practice yard, then, where our youngest brother here will attempt to re-learn the lost art of hitting the correct target."

Face still bright red, Jadeite stalked off toward the door, followed by the still-amused Zoisite. Kunzite paused briefly to glance at Nephrite inquiringly. "You coming as well?"

Nephrite started, blinking a moment as he was drawn from whatever daydream held his attention, then finally nodded and stepped off the dais. "Might as well."

"Don't forget about the banquet this evening, gentlemen," Endymion called after them, mouth quirking in a slight grin as he watched the four men leave the room. Jadeite and Zoisite had resumed their bickering at the forefront of the small procession, but Kunzite lifted a hand in a brief wave of acknowledgment to his liege before the group disappeared out the door completely.

Endymion gave a faint sigh of regret; he would have liked to go with them and join in the practice, but unfortunately had far too much work to do before the evening. It always seemed that lately his duties were keeping him apart from his loyal companions more and more often, and he missed the closeness they once had. He made a mental note to work on that, before turning back to what needed to be done immediately. There was work to do, and he was always quite serious about his duties.

oooooooooo

The perfect, peaceful beauty of that summer afternoon stood in contrast to the darkness and destruction that would come from events that happened in it; as one drop can start a flood, so did three small things begin the tides of war.

Fascinated by the exotic nature and handsome looks of the moon kingdom's emissary, one of the courtiers of the Earth kingdom stopped him in the hall to speak with him. And he, fascinated by the cut of the woman's bodice, gestured for the rest of his party to go on ahead without him, forgetting the fact that he was supposed to be keeping an extremely close eye on the young princess-in-disguise.

One.

After being shown to her rooms, the princess quickly grew bored with waiting for the banquet that evening and decided to go for a walk. Easily drifting unseen past the other members of the delegation as they made their preparations for that evening's entertainment, she slipped out the door of their wing and went to explore the grounds of the fascinatingly unfamiliar palace.

Two.

Once he was finished with his immediate duties, the prince dismissed his servants and headed toward the practice grounds to join the Shitennou. For reasons he could never quite name, he decided to take the path that would lead him through the gardens rather than the slightly shorter, but less interesting, route the four had taken earlier. And as he strode past the entrance to the rose maze, he caught a glimpse of a figure standing where he hadn't expected one to be.

Three.

And fate was sealed.

Not too far away, Nephrite suddenly lifted his head, looking away from the arm-wrestling contest in which Jadeite and Zoisite were enthusiastically engaged. His eyes were half-closed, head cocked to one side a little as though he were trying to identify a noise heard from afar.

Kunzite noticed the action and frowned slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"Did you just...?" Nephrite's voice trailed off, and then he finally just shook his head slightly, dismissing the feeling. "Never mind. It's gone. It must have been nothing."

"Mm. If you say so." Kunzite gave the younger man a thoughtful look, but shrugged it off. He made a mental note to look into it later, though; Nephrite was always unusually sensitive to strange occurrences, and it couldn't hurt to follow up on this one later. Eventually.

* * *


	3. Chapter 2

As Endymion approached the rose maze, he recognized the figure standing there as one of the members of the delegation from the moon kingdom, and specifically, the veiled girl who had caught his attention during the reception earlier. He was more than a little surprised to find her there – though the emissary and his retinue had, of course, been offered the run of the palace, they weren't really expected to take advantage of that. All the previous representatives, in fact, had barely even left their quarters except for official functions; the prevailing gossip amongst the palace staff was that they were trying to avoid being "tainted" by their surroundings, and though Endymion tried to discourage such rumors, he did have to wonder how true they might be.

All this ran through his mind as he approached the girl, footfalls almost silent against the lush grass. "Pardon me, miss," he began, once he was close enough, "is there something I can do for you?" Had she become separated from her companions and was now lost, perhaps?

The girl gave a startled gasp and whirled to face him, one hand lifting toward her mouth. "Oh!" she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you coming, I...it's not a problem for me to be here, right?"

Endymion smiled in a reassuring fashion, moving closer to her so he didn't have to raise his voice to be heard. "Certainly, it's perfectly all right for you to be here. I just wasn't expecting anyone who has the famed gardens of the Moon Castle outside their home to find this pale imitation interesting."

"No, no," she hastened to assure him, seeming distressed by his dismissal of the gardens. "These are very lovely – they're more _alive_ than the ones back home. There is no breeze on the moon," she added, tone turning wistful.

Acting on pure impulse, Endymion carefully plucked a nearby blossom and offered it to the girl with a smile. She hesitated, then reached out with one delicate, pale hand and almost gingerly took it from him, lifting it closer to the veil obscuring her face. After a moment, though, she seemed to become frustrated by the obstacle presented by the thick fabric; after a brief glance around, she carefully used her free hand to fold back the veil, then brought the rose close enough to breathe in its scent.

Endymion watched the proceedings with only mild curiosity until the gleaming crescent adorning the girl's brow was revealed, and he suddenly realized where he had seen her unusual hairstyle before. He immediately gave a respectful bow, as one sovereign-in-waiting to another. "Princess Serenity, I must apologize for our lapse in manners, that we did not receive you properly here in the palace. We were not aware that you were coming."

"No, please...don't." Serenity reached out a hand as though she would pull him to his feet again, looking uncomfortable. "I didn't...nobody was supposed to know, so I wouldn't be treated as special. I just..." She hesitated, catching her lower lip in her teeth.

"My lady, I-" Endymion lifted his eyes to meet hers as he straightened up again and froze, suddenly breathless and dry-mouthed. "With beauty such as yours, you could not be anything but special."

A gentle flush crept across her cheeks, but Serenity seemed likewise unable to look away. "You speak lovely flattery, Prince Endymion."

He managed to gather his wits again after an abnormally long moment and shook his head slightly. "I speak nothing but the truth, Princess Serenity." Before she could respond to that, though, he offered his arm to her and asked, "Would you like me to give you a tour of the gardens, perhaps?"

The princess smiled gently and reached out to take his arm. "I would like that very much," she replied. "Very much indeed."

oooooooooo

The Shitennou headed for the banquet hall early, to do their customary check before an important event. Tonight, though, was a little more important; they not only had to worry about the prince's safety, but also that of the moon delegation. There had been too many people made unhappy by the "alien" presence on their planet for them to take it lightly.

As they headed down the hall, though, Zoisite noticed a particular red-headed woman loitering in the hallway with a slightly too-casual air, and paused to speak to her. Kunzite frowned at that, but for the moment, kept walking. However, once Zoisite caught up with the group again just outside of the doors to the banquet hall, Kunzite pulled him to one side, gesturing for the other two to continue on without them.

Zoisite's expression was guarded as he faced Kunzite, but his tone was all innocence. "What is it?"

"Are you really sure it's a good idea to be seen with the likes of her?" Kunzite folded his arms across his chest, giving the younger man a disapproving scowl. "Rumor has it that she has strong ties to some of those "pure Earth" groups that have been stirring up trouble."

"Oh, come now, Kunzite." Zoisite laughed quietly, making a dismissive gesture with one hand. "They're completely harmless – all they do is sit around and chant slogans. What would it matter even _if_ Lady Beryl were associated with them?"

Kunzite arched one pale brow slightly. "" _Lady_ " Beryl gave up her titles when she joined the mages, as you well know. But what I'm concerned about isn't her, but rather you. How would it look to the people if one of Prince Endymion's guardians were out "chanting slogans"that criticized all that the prince is currently working for?"

Zoisite shrugged a little, but couldn't help from looking slightly uncomfortable. "You're making far too much of this, Kunzite. I'm not part of them simply because I stopped to talk to her for a moment."

"Mmm." Kunzite remained unconvinced, judging from the expression on his face. "And what did you speak about, if may I ask?"

"Nothing to do with _you_." Zoisite turned away abruptly and started to walk away, but paused as the other Shitennou called his name. Kunzite closed the distance between them and rested a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Zoisite, please. She always has her own agenda. Keep that in mind. And...just be careful."

After a moment's hesitation, Zoisite finally just shook his head and turned away toward the door to the hall. "The others will be wondering where we are," he observed, voice quiet.

Kunzite lowered his hand to his side and watched him walk away, then gave a faint sigh and followed after. The mages were supposed to be politically neutral, free of worldly ties, but he had never been convinced that it was entirely true in Beryl's case. She might have given up her titles when her gifts appeared, but she still schemed like a courtier. If she were sniffing around the Shitennou, he needed to find out why.

oooooooooo

"I think that blonde one there in the middle is looking at me," Jadeite said, staring avidly at the group from the moon kingdom. When he got no response from the redhead next to him, he lightly nudged Nephrite in the side and gestured toward the girl in question. "What do you think?"

"I think your tastes are questionable and you should let me eat in peace," Nephrite replied, and calmly took a sip from his goblet.

Jadeite quirked a slight grin and only nudged him again. "You aren't even _looking_. How would you know?"

Nephrite set the goblet down just a fraction harder than necessary. "I don't need to look at them to know," he replied. "They're moon people. As even you admit, not even _human_. I have to wonder why you'd even consider one of them attractive."

"I'm sure they're human enough where it counts." Jadeite's grin took on a hint of a leer; he threw a wink at the blonde girl, who promptly blushed and looked down at the table shyly.

"If you're going to be crude, you might find a better reception at the guardsmen's table," Nephrite observed, voice turning icy. "Some of us are trying to eat here."

Jadeite only gave a dramatic sigh and glanced down at his plate, poking idly at the food there with little interest. "Honestly, Nephrite, you have to be one of the most _boring_ people to ever live."

"Sorry." Not only did he not sound repentant at all, Nephrite didn't really sound like much of anything. Except bored. But that was nothing unusual.

Shaking his head in mock disgust, Jadeite turned toward the oddly-silent Zoisite. "What about you?" he inquired. "Are you of the opinion that humanity, or the lack thereof, would be a barrier to romantic pursuits?"

Zoisite blinked once, refocusing on the conversation with an almost startled air. "What? Oh. Yes." He paused, brain catching up with what Jadeite had actually said, and grimaced. "Definitely yes. And I agree with Nephrite – try not to be more disgusting than you already are."

Any reply the youngest Shitennou might have made was cut off as the prince rose to his feet, lifting his glass as he offered a toast. Letting the speech about peaceful co-existence between the two people just wash over him, Jadeite toyed with his own wineglass and suppressed a yawn, waiting for it to be over. After a moment, he realized that Nephrite had frozen in place and seemed to be watching something with odd intensity. "What is it?" he whispered, instantly curious. "What are you looking at?"

Nephrite glanced sidelong toward his younger brother, then nodded toward the delegation's table. "Watch the prince," he replied, softly. "Though he's supposedly giving this speech to the emissary, he isn't looking at _him_. He keeps looking at one of the others in the party."

As Jadeite looked, so did the other Shitennou. Kunzite frowned slightly, looking thoughtful; Zoisite did the same, then suddenly scowled. "The girl on the end there? The one in the veil? Does it seem like he's watching her quite a bit?"

Nephrite nodded slowly, looking between the unknown girl and Endymion. "I believe so."

"And what does that mean?" Zoisite asked.

Nephrite only shook his head slightly. "I'm not sure," he admitted. But from his expression, he didn't think it was a very good sign.

oooooooooo

It was quite late before Endymion returned to the common room in their wing of the palace, late enough that he was almost surprised to find Kunzite still up and waiting for him. Only "almost" surprised, though; the Shitennou always had been half nursemaids, he mused, giving a purely internal grin at the thought. He nodded wearily to the man and dropped into a nearby chair with a tired sigh. "I knew that there were many who disliked the people from the moon, but I suppose I hadn't quite realized how strongly the feelings ran."

Kunzite, who had of course risen to his feet when his liege entered the room, lowered himself back to his chair with a little more dignity. "Why? What has happened?"

"One of the groups – I think they call themselves the Sun-something-or-others – decided to have a "demonstration" down in the town. Things got out of hand, of course, and it degenerated almost into riot conditions." The prince sighed again, rubbing his forehead wearily. "It seems to have calmed down now, finally. But several buildings burned and there were more injured than I like to think about. I only hope word doesn't get back to the emissary – amazingly civilized we'd seem, then."

"And you didn't send for us to help?" Kunzite arched one brow slightly, curious.

Endymion gave a half-shrug. "No, it was all right – the guards I brought were able to deal with it fairly quickly, once we arrived."

The Shitennou shook his head once, with a small frown. "I mean, your highness, that you need to have a care for your safety. We _do_ exist to protect you, after all."

"I told you, it was fine. I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." Though he tried to suppress it, Endymion felt a faint twinge of irritation at that.

Kunzite made a noise that was almost a chuckle and leaned back in his chair. "As a matter of fact, we _do_ have to worry about you. It was part of the oath."

"Oh. Yes." Endymion paused a moment, then coughed quietly and pushed himself to his feet. "I'm going to go get some rest. There's a lot on the agenda tomorrow. I can hope that there will be no more major outbreaks of unrest while the emissary is here."

"How did the meetings with the moon people go today?" Though Kunzite's question was completely innocent and hardly unexpected, Endymion paused in mid-step, and found his shoulders stiffening slightly in response. "Ah. Fine. Fine. I think we should be able to open diplomatic relations, as we were hoping."

The unusual reaction did not go unnoticed by the white-haired man; he never could be accused of being unobservant. But he did not remark upon it, for which the prince was grateful. "Good luck tomorrow, then. And – should you need us, my lord, please be sure to call upon us?"

Endymion turned slightly toward him and smiled. "I promise, Kunzite. I know things have been busy with preparations for this visit, but you four are my friends as well as guardians, and I feel like I've been neglecting you lately. I'll do my best to make it to afternoon practices again."

"Don't worry so much about neglecting _us_ as your sword arm, your highness." Kunzite quirked a faint smile and bowed. "I could already win six out of ten matches – if you stop practicing, how will you maintain the royal dignity?"

"Hah. Very poorly." Endymion gave a dramatic wince as he remembered the _last_ practice session, in which he had been "killed" more times than he would like to admit. "Until tomorrow, Kunzite. And feel free to have a little mercy next time?"

Kunzite shrugged noncommittally as he turned toward his quarters. "Mercy now would only get you killed for real in actual battle," he replied, as he always did in response to the request. "Until tomorrow."

oooooooooo

Though Endymion did make it to the next day's session, as promised, his attendance after that was mediocre at best. Though the Shitennou realized that the prince was quite busy with all the duties and meetings and formal occasions that came with having visiting dignitaries, there seemed to be something else occupying his mind. Something that he wouldn't speak of. When the five of them were gathered in the evenings, it seemed almost as if Endymion wasn't even there at all, for what little attention he paid to the others and the conversation.

"He seems to be visiting the gardens an awful lot lately," Jadeite observed, one afternoon. "Do you think he might have a secret lover?"

"Or maybe he's just trying to get some time alone to think, where he's not surrounded by people and courtiers," Zoisite retorted, rolling his eyes skyward.

Whatever the reason, the four of them assumed that things would return to normal once the moon people left and routine re-established itself. However, even though he spent more time with his four guardians and returned to his normal practice routine, the prince still obviously had other things on his mind, and they still wondered what it might be. Endymion's daily visits to the gardens petered off, but he still had a tendency to disappear at random times; a couple of times the disappearances were long enough that his four guardians were about to become alarmed when he finally returned and shrugged off their annoyance with apparent irritation of his own.

And then, on a night two moons after the moon delegation's departure, Endymion stole back toward his quarters after one of his clandestine visits to the gardens. This one had been later than usual, and by that time the palace was nearly empty.

"Prince Endymion." A voice hailed him from the darkness, echoing hollowly in the nearly-empty hall as the prince strode past. He halted, half-turning in the speaker's direction as he recognized the voice, and frowned. "Nephrite? What is it?"

"Be careful the decisions you make, my prince." The red-haired Shitennou emerged from the shadows of a small side hallway, looking ghost-pale in the dim light. "The people might grudgingly accept a truce with the moon kingdom, an agreement not to hate each other – but anything closer? They will lose their faith in you, my lord, and in the kingdom."

Endymion's frown deepened at that. "I'm not sure what you mean. Closer? How?"

"Moon's child and Earth's lord in secret meet, in secret love." Nephrite's voice took on an almost sing-song tone as he moved closer, eyes losing their focus. "Though love forbidden be, love's will can not be denied. The stars will weep even as they foretell fate, for what is cannot be."

The prince involuntarily took a step back, a chill running up his spine at the seer's words. "Are you trying to say I will fall in love with someone from the moon kingdom?" he asked, forcing himself to sound puzzled. "But I'm not "Earth's lord" - that would be my father."

Nephrite closed his eyes as, for an instant, an expression of faint pain flickered over his features. "For now. Yes." When he opened his eyes again, his gaze fixed with unusual intensity upon the prince. "And not "will." _Have_. You know of whom I speak."

"I..." Endymion hesitated briefly, then shook his head. "It's impossible anyway. Nothing will happen."

"Nothing? Are you certain?"

"As I said, it is impossible. Forbidden."

"Ah. Of course."

Endymion's brow creased in a deep frown at the tone in his guardian's voice. "You don't believe me?"

Nephrite shook his head and drifted off down the hall. "I know what I see. Be careful, my prince. And remember your duty."


	4. Chapter 3

The seasons turned and changed; the golden summer of the emissary's visit gradually faded into a colorful autumn which stayed warm far longer than was the norm. Tempted by the lovely weather, the king took it into his head to lead one last hunting party out into the forests beyond the town, enjoying the opportunity while he could. Winters came early and fierce to the kingdom, and many of the nobility joined him, wishing to enjoy themselves before they would inevitably become snowbound.

It was only three days into the week-long expedition when those back in the palace began to cast a worried eye toward the skies above as the winds kicked up, bringing with them menacingly dark clouds and a significant drop in the temperatures. Their worries increased as the skies opened and the clouds abruptly released their payload of rain in a great gush. With the sudden cold the drops stung like icy needles, and fears for the hunting party only grew.

A short time later they began to straggle back home, weary and chilled, some injured from accidents that befell them as they struggled through the poor visibility and slick ground. By the next dawn all of them were home – but one. The king still remained out there, somewhere. His attendants had lost sight of him when his horse was startled by thunder and bolted with its rider, disappearing without a trace into the dark forest.

Endymion grew pale when he heard the news; with but a glance toward the nearby Shitennou, all five of them were decided, and as one turned to fetch supplies for a search and rescue mission. Though others offered to accompany him, Endymion refused them all, insisting that his four guardians would be sufficient. He promised to return within the day with his father, and headed off with his white-uniformed companions close behind.

The attendants had drawn a map to where they had last seen the king, and once the five arrived there, they paused to survey the area. Jadeite dismounted and began examining the physical traces left behind, attempting to find something by which to track the progress of the king's horse. The others watched him work for several minutes, but he finally squinted up at the sky, re-settled his russet cloak, and shook his head with some annoyance. "Too much blasted rain," he observed. "The ground's a mess of mud, and it looks like they churned it all up anyway trying to figure out where he went. And the wind's blown the branches all over. Maybe once we get under the trees, but out here in the clearing there's nothing I can work with."

The prince scowled in response, but without a word spoken, turned an expectant glance toward Nephrite. Thus far the seer had remained silent and distant as usual, huddled within his cloak, but as the others' attention fixed on him he closed his eyes and concentrated. He remained unmoving for several long minutes, though, and the other four began to glance toward each other with some concern. He usually came up with _something_ much faster than this – could something be wrong? But what could possibly _go_ wrong?

Their attention was abruptly drawn back to Nephrite as he drew in a sharp gasp, like a swimmer breaking the surface after a long dive, his eyes flying open but focused on nothing. "Darkness," he breathed, voice barely audible over the patter of the rain. "Unnatural and thick, stifling and bitter."

"But what of the king?" Kunzite drew his horse closer, giving the red-haired seer a look of concern. "Did you see anything?"

"The king lives." Nephrite shook his head slowly, bringing up a trembling hand to his forehead. "Beset by chill both natural and not, but alive." He drew in a deep breath, then another, then slowly lifted his head and looked around the clearing, trying to orient himself. "To the east," he finally said, nodding the appropriate direction. "An hour's ride at most."

Without waiting to see if the others were ready, Endymion turned his horse and spurred it onward to the east. Jadeite and Kunzite immediately followed, but Zoisite hesitated, casting a concerned glance toward his brother. Nephrite only shook his head, his usual expressionless mask back in place, though his face was unnaturally pale. "I'm fine," he insisted in a voice that was weak but steady. "Truly." As if to illustrate that point, he nudged his horse into motion again, and the other followed after.

The five continued onward, refusing to stop with their goal so close except for brief pauses to re-check the trail they were following. On the last of their stops, Jadeite checked the traces left behind and nodded once, looking pleased. "Here we are," he said, keeping his usual cheer despite the grimness of his setting (and companions). "This way. Looks like he's heading toward the hills. I hear there are caves in them, maybe he was looking for shelter."

"I pray not," the prince murmured, glancing that direction with a worried frown. "The stories I've heard about them...but let's go. I'd like to find him before nightfall."

The game trail they were following led them through the trees and into a clearing before a rocky cliff, pierced by a large opening to the rumored caves. The men dismounted and began to head that direction, when suddenly Nephrite's voice rang out and startled them into halting: "Don't go inside."

Kunzite turned to face the other, who was still hanging back some distance away. "Gods, man, the king could be in there right now! What do you suggest that we do?"

"Don't. Go. Inside." The red-haired Shitennou bit off each word sharply. "If you all die, what good can you do to him then?" He glanced around himself for a moment, then abruptly moved toward the underbrush on the other side of the clearing and waded into what looked like a solid clump of thornbushes, heedless of the branches tearing at his previously-pristine uniform.

They watched in some bemusement for a moment, then finally Jadeite muttered, "He's finally gone mad for real," and went over to join him. Kunzite and Zoisite exchanged glances, then shrugged and followed, along with Endymion. Jadeite abruptly gave a startled shout, though, and they sped their steps to the edge of the bushes; once there the men found the bushes actually formed a nearly-solid ring - in the center of which was someone huddled in a sodden, torn, and filthy cloak. Endymion pushed past the startled guardians and carefully lifted his father into his arms, but found it was hard to hold him, so violently was the man shaking.

Zoisite moved closer and gave the king a cursory examination, eyes narrowing with concern. "He must not have made it to shelter," he observed, noting how cold and soaked from the rain he was. "Also looks like he had a strong blow to the head – possibly thrown from his horse, but whatever it was, it's making him worse. This is beyond my power. He needs to get to the healers immediately." He glanced back at Kunzite and shook his head. "We'll have to teleport him. It's the only way to get him back fast enough."

Kunzite frowned slightly but nodded without argument. "Fine. We'll teleport back...it's definitely an emergency." Putting command into action, he reached out and rested a hand on the prince's shoulder; the other three did the same, and all five disappeared, leaving behind an empty clearing and a handful of startled horses.

oooooooooo

Though the kingdom's best healers were immediately brought to the king's bedside, they were baffled as to what ailed him. It seemed at first that he had simply been in the cold and wet for too long, but despite the medicines and healing magics his fever remained high and unbroken, and he continually coughed, a hacking, tearing sound that clawed at his throat as it emerged. Such an illness, resistant as it was to normal remedies, forced them to conclude that it must be of unnatural origin.

Several of the mages were dispatched to the cave system to see if they could possibly find some clues as to what had happened there. Perhaps, they thought, there were some magics left from a forgotten war, a curse of which he had fallen foul. The caves _were_ said to be dangerous, though the various stories conflicted as to why. The rumors were proven, though, when only one of the five finally returned, and she not in the best of shape.

"Your majesty," Beryl said, kneeling before the throne at a hastily-convened gathering three days later, her ragged robes and tangled hair giving testament to what she had been through just as much as the weariness in her voice. "I regret to inform you that we have failed in our mission."

A gasp rippled across the massed crowd, followed by murmurs, but they were quickly silenced as the queen lifted her hand, gaze fixed upon the red-haired mage before her. "Speak," she commanded, voice soft but firm.

"There was... _something_ in the caves," Beryl replied, her gaze fixed on the strip of carpet before her. "We knew not what, but it slew three of us outright despite our strength – or, I fear, because of it. It...whatever it was...our powers awoke it, and it struck. Alta, Mirabi, and Galen simply...collapsed, lifeless."

The woman paused to take a breath, obviously trembling with weariness where she knelt. "Thorian and I managed to escape the caves, and we sealed the entrance off as best as we could, lest whatever force was inside should escape. He...he died of his injuries on the way back. I dared not use magic again until I was far away from that place, which is why it took me so long to return."

Beryl slowly looked up again at the queen and shook her head slightly. "Whatever power dwells there, your majesty – it is beyond our ability to comprehend or fight."

The other mages in the room remained grim-faced as the woman delivered the message; they had obviously already heard it from her, and agreed with her assessment of the situation, for all they regretted it. The courtiers murmured amongst themselves in a mixture of shock and grief, for they well knew this could be the king's death sentence. With even the seemingly all-powerful mages unable to determine what had laid such an ill curse upon the king, what hope was there for him?

"Is that it, then?" The queen turned toward the head of the order, eyes begging him to tell her no. "Are you telling me there is no way to save him from this...this malady?"

Deless, the ancient and wise and powerful, shook his head reluctantly in response to the question. "Your majesty – I fear not. Not with our arts."

Endymion, up until that point silent, rose to his feet. "What of the moon kingdom? Are they not well versed in the healing arts? If we ask them for help, surely...surely, they will come to our aid."

The murmurs of the courtiers abruptly fell silent, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop to near-freezing as they turned to regard their future king. Deless hesitated, glancing toward the queen for guidance. She remained still for a long moment, during which time Endymion slowly lowered himself back to his chair, looking dismayed at the reaction to his suggestion.

The queen finally gave a slight nod. "Very well," she said. "If there is no other choice. Then that is what we must do."

Beryl slowly rose to her feet again and gave the queen a low bow. "Your majesty, I will send the message to them myself, immediately. Perhaps I can thus remedy my failure so far." The ragged mage took the requisite steps backwards before turning away, hurrying out of the room to put action to her words.

oooooooooo

Though Beryl reported the message sent and received, there came no immediate answer from the moon kingdom. As the people waited, the mages spent their strength on a futile struggle against whatever dark curse was draining the king's life, trying to give him what time they could. The queen and prince remained sequestered in his chambers, watching as he slowly faded.

The Shitennou waited outside the closed door, also waiting for news to come from either side of it. They hoped that one of the mages would appear first with word from the moon kingdom, for despite their dislike of those people, they wished for anything that might aid their king. It was not to be, however. The first sound to disturb their solemn guard was the creak of the door opening, after which the queen emerged, holding herself with an unnatural, stiff calm which told them more than any words that any message that might come from the moon would be too little, too late.

The king's funeral was as solemn an affair as might be expected of such an occasion, but underlying the grief of the kingdom was a current of anger. He should not have died, the whispers said. The reasons, however, varied with the different rumors.

One said that, had the moon people he so admired bothered to descend from their lofty world and share their healing magics with them, he could have lived. It was their disdain for the people of Earth that killed the king.

Others believed that the strange illness was a curse placed on the king by the gods themselves, as a punishment for his continued association with the moon people, his desire to make peace with them. It was only further proof that the two peoples were meant to be separate. Perhaps, the more fearful and angry murmured, it would be better if the moon kingdom did not exist at all.

And the final set of rumors, spoken only in darkness but there with bitterness and fierce hatred, suggested that the moon people themselves were responsible for the illness that had struck down their king. That they had perhaps been jealous that the monarch was so beloved by his people. Or they were disgusted by his entreaties of peace and accord with their kingdom and struck him such a disdainful blow.

Whatever the reason, whatever the rumor people chose to believe, as mourners left the funeral and returned to their homes, the whispers grew and spread. Already fearful of the moon people as they were, it had not taken much for that to turn into hatred and anger. Reports from officials in outlying parts of the kingdom began to filter in, warning that it would not take much to set them off – the minor riot during the emissary's visit now seemed only a hint of what could come.

The grieving queen, however, was too occupied to pay them too much heed; she merely passed the reports on to her steward and guard captain, to do with as they would. The men frowned, but accepted them and wondered what they were to do. The guard captain ordered increased patrols of the palace and issued warnings to his subordinates to be on the lookout for the various dissident groups, but confided in the steward that he hoped that the queen would return to herself soon. The steward only nodded sadly in agreement, and made a note to discuss the issue with the prince as soon as he could.

oooooooooo

The Shitennou had returned to their common room after the funeral, through silent unspoken accord, and once there remained in silence, almost stunned by the events. Even as the sun slowly descended and night fell over the palace, they sat in darkness in the room, unwilling to break the stillness even to go light the lamps. It seemed to suit the oppressive mood lurking over the palace, anyway.

"The prince needs a wife," Zoisite finally observed, breaking the silence with an abruptness that made the other men start slightly. As they turned to look toward him where he sat half visible in the moonlight seeping through the window, a slight flush crept into his cheeks, and he added, a little defensively, "Well, he _does_. The kingdom needs an heir. And besides...we could all use something a little more cheerful around here."

Kunzite frowned slightly as he drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair. "You may be right. But...from the way you speak, it sounds as though you have someone in mind."

Zoisite's flush deepened, visible even in the dim light. "Well, perhaps. I mean, I was thinking about it, and it would be preferable to have someone of a good background – and I know of one lady of high birth who is still unattached, and who fits that requirement admirably. In fact, before the prince was born, she was considered a possible heir should the queen remain childless."

"Really? Who was that?" Jadeite leaned forward in his chair, suddenly curious.

Zoisite glanced toward the younger Shitennou, seeming relieved to look away from Kunzite. "Lady Beryl. I know she's a mage, but there are precedents that allow them to leave the order to be married-"

"Enough," Kunzite interrupted sharply. He paused, taking a breath, then continued in a milder tone. "I don't think the lady's birth should be the only criteria to be considered. I also disagree that she would be a suitable match for Endymion, for many reasons. And, Zoisite, I thought I told you to stay away from her."

Zoisite flushed darker, then paled. "Are you trying to imply that she put me up to this?"

Kunzite only gazed at the younger man steadily until he was forced to look away. "As you say," he murmured, voice tinged by a hint of disappointment. The silver-haired man rose to his feet and moved to light the lamps, even though he could easily have done so from his own chair.

As Zoisite's gaze moved away, it fell upon the Shitennou who had, thus far, remained silent. Nephrite was watching him with an intent, thoughtful gaze, brow creased slightly in a frown. "What? What is it?" Zoisite asked, made slightly surly even as he realized this one shouldn't be the target of his annoyance. Nephrite, however, only shook his head slightly, then closed his eyes and returned to whatever visions were currently occupying his mind.

His flush returning, this time from anger, Zoisite pushed to his feet again and stalked toward his chamber door without another word spoken. Jadeite watched him leave but, for once, remained silent. Kunzite, however, kept his attention fixed on the lamp with single-minded intensity, refusing to watch the other go.


	5. Chapter 4

Despite the bitter chill in the autumn wind, Endymion went to the gardens in order to seek solitude, not from any real hope that she might be there. He was pleased nonetheless, though, when she appeared and sat beside him on the bench of the sheltered grotto.

"I heard what happened," Serenity observed, simply, resting a gentle hand on his arm. "I'm sorry I couldn't get away sooner."

"I'm glad you're here," Endymion replied. He moved one hand atop hers, feeling his heart ease just a little from her mere presence. The two of them sat in silence for some time, watching the wind stir the barren branches and shoo dried leaves across the white-rock pathway.

Endymion finally broke into the silence with a soft question, barely audible above the rustle of the breeze. "Serenity, beloved – why did your mother never answer us?"

Serenity blinked in surprise, distressed by the anguish evident in his question. "Answer...what? Did you send a message?"

"Yes, we - we asked for help, when his illness seemed too much for our healers to handle. I'd hoped that one of your people would know what to do..." Endymion allowed his voice to trail off at the continued incomprehension in her expression. "You...never got the message, did you?"

Dismayed, Serenity shook her head slightly. "No. We never heard anything until it was too late. I'm sure Mother would have been happy to send healers if she knew we were...wanted."

For a long moment there was only silence in the small clearing, before Endymion finally let out a long breath that was halfway a sob. His shoulders slumped as he sagged forward, resting his face in his hands as his fingers tangled in his dark hair. "Then he would have...maybe..."

Serenity gently drew him into her arms, tears welling in her own eyes in sympathy to his grief. "I'm so sorry, beloved," she whispered. "I wish...I'm sorry."

Out of sight of the court, without the need to pretend to be strong, and in the arms of one who loved him dearly, Endymion finally allowed himself to weep for his father's loss. He held her in return, clinging to the frail-seeming girl as he would a rock in a storm.

oooooooooo

Endymion paced down a dim corridor, lost in thought; somehow, it seemed that winter was somehow darker than usual this year – and not just because the season had made it impossible for him to meet with Serenity. The more time he spent away from her, the more he longed for her, for the light she brought into his life. It would be nice at this point, he mused, to have some brightness amidst all the worries.

Though the queen was nominally in charge of the kingdom still, her continued deep mourning made it difficult for her to keep up with the day-to-day affairs, and gradually more of the responsibility had fallen on the shoulders of the young prince. Some of the advisors had approached him earlier that day, asking if perhaps it was time for the queen to step down, for him to be crowned, that a king lead them once more. He had, however, refused to even consider the idea when it was broached to him, and in fact reacted with such unaccustomed anger that they dared not speak of it any more – at least, not that day.

It had, at least, spelled an end to the otherwise seemingly endless meetings in which he had been caught the entire day, while all he wanted was to find a quiet, out-of-the-way corner for some time alone. A letter had mysteriously appeared on his pillow during the night, the outer page completely blank but for the seal on the back – a seal that consisted of a simple crescent moon. He had quickly hidden the letter before his attendants arrived, but had immediately been rushed into his routine, and throughout the day it seemed the page was burning a hole in his pocket.

When he finally found the ideal place he was looking for, Endymion seated himself in the windowsill and drew the folded page from his pocket. With a last glance around to make sure he really was alone, he carefully opened it and began to read; whatever he found inscribed there brought a gentle smile to his face. As he re-read it for the third time, though, a voice suddenly interrupted his reverie: "Your highness?"

Startled, he turned about, quickly shoving the letter into his pocket once more. The red-haired mage standing nearby flicked a glance down toward his hand and raised one brow in inquiry. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No. Of course not." Endymion cleared his throat softly and rose to his feet, offering the woman a respectful nod. "What can I do for you, Beryl?"

"I was wondering..." The woman sidled a bit closer as she spoke, her gaze fixed intently on his face. "Have you heard the talk in town? The rumors wondering about your marriage...or lack thereof?"

Endymion flushed a little, but nodded stiffly. "I...have."

Beryl's lips curved in a faint smile as she moved yet closer, a little closer than normal for an ordinary conversation. "Ah. And have you considered any candidates for marriage, by chance?"

He involuntarily took a step back, a faint hint of alarm rising in his eyes. "Er. I mean...why do you ask?"

"Isn't it obvious, my prince?" Continuing her advance, Beryl reached out and touched his arm lightly. "We are both of high birth, and unwed. And we already have a...connection."

"One youthful indiscretion does not a romance make, Beryl," Endymion replied, pulling away from her as his eyes narrowed. "You have your vows to the Order, anyway. It's impossible."

Hurt flickered across Beryl's expression at his rejection, and she drew back again, clutching her hand to her chest as though he had slapped her. "Difficult, perhaps. But not impossible. If...if you wanted it."

Endymion shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Beryl. I wasn't aware that you still remembered. Or cared. But...we cannot be wed. The kingdom needs you too much where you are." He nodded to her again and turned away; as he walked down the hall, his hand slid almost of its own accord into his pocket, toward the letter he had hidden there.

Beryl watched him go, various emotions passing through her before she finally settled on a slow, burning anger. "You were right," she observed, seemingly to the empty air. "Very well. We'll try your plan, now."

oooooooooo

Over the course of the seemingly-endless winter, the prince grew ever more restless, cooped up in the palace as he was by the fierce storms outside. Though he returned to spending much of his time with the Shitennou, either in their common room or the indoor practice grounds where they worked out their restlessness at being confined, his mind often seemed to be elsewhere.

After finally "killing" the prince in a practice match for the twelfth time in a row, Kunzite offered him a hand up, scowling with some concern. "Your highness," he observed, voice dry, "even a toddler could win against you lately. Is something wrong?"

Endymion flushed scarlet, absently brushing himself off with a wince as he caught a bruised muscle just wrong. "I'm...I don't know. I'm just distracted, I suppose."

"A girl, perhaps?" Jadeite inquired, sidling closer with a too-innocent air. "I'm no healer, but I seem to detect a touch of lovesickness about our dear liege lately."

"Of course not," the prince replied, just a touch too quickly. His blush deepened, and he began to stammer about the weather and the season before finally taking his leave, almost apologetically returning the wooden sword to Kunzite before he left.

Zoisite stared after the man with one brow raised. "That was...interesting. I wonder who it could possibly be." He and the other two slowly turned toward the silent red-haired Shitennou sitting nearby, but Nephrite seemed completely oblivious to the significant looks given in his direction.

"Nephrite." Kunzite stepped directly in front of the seer, voice breaking through his reverie. "Have you seen anything, by chance?"

"Ah. Well." Nephrite blinked several times, sapphire eyes focusing somewhat vaguely upon the others. "That is. Not...really."

Kunzite's eyes narrowed slightly as he folded his arms across his chest. "Not... _really_? What on Terra's green fields does _that_ mean?"

Nephrite merely stared back at the older man, silence his only reply. As he watched the pair, Zoisite suddenly realized something: "In the forest – when we were searching for the king. Something happened. Nephrite, I don't think I've heard you speak of your visions since then. Am I wrong?"

Jadeite frowned thoughtfully, then nodded. "You know, he's right. You've been making an uncommon amount of sense lately."

Kunzite's own habitual frown deepened. "And I also concur. I can't recall the last time you spoke of the stars, Nephrite." His voice sharpened as he continued, growing frostier. "And you didn't think it worth mentioning to the rest of us?"

As all three converged upon him, Nephrite finally sighed, absently reaching up to rumple his already-unruly hair. "I'd thought it would pass," he replied, quietly. "But Zoisite is right. Something _happened_ , on that day. I know not what. Now, always in the background, I see...darkness. Bitter, oppressive, almost tangibly thick. And it...it watches _me_ in return, when I try to investigate it."

A chill unrelated to the weather outside seemed to sweep over the room as he spoke, the light dimming as though the sun had passed behind a momentary cloud.

oooooooooo

"...and the great gate at the palace is connected to the other, minor gates on the other planets, which makes travel between them quite easy." Serenity gestured as she spoke, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm as she described the wonders of her world – wonders, which to her, were commonplace.

Although it seemed that it might, winter could not last forever, and a warm spring had gradually crept into place. On the first opportunity he could find, Endymion took himself out to the gardens, examining the new growth with some pleasure. His own powers tied so closely to the earth itself that he could not help but feel his spirits lighten amid the scent of renewed life. Serenity, as it turned out, had also come to visit on the bright vernal day, and the pair of them had been making up for their several months' separation by enjoying each others' company.

As he listened, Endymion absently plucked a blade of grass from the ground beside him, twirling it between his fingers. "But there isn't a gate on on Earth?"

"Well...no." Serenity faltered a little, eyes lowering. "It's just...well, Mother has been considering it for some time now, but she is worried what would happen if it were easy for...um. Certain people. To get to the moon."

"Ah." Endymion sighed and began to shred the bit of grass into tiny pieces. Those "certain people" had only become more and more vocal, and made up a lot of his headaches lately. "I only wish I could say I didn't understand, but I do. If only _they_ could understand."

Serenity reached out and touched his hand lightly, arresting his idle destruction. "People fear what is unfamiliar," she replied, sadly. "Perhaps once they get a chance to know us better..."

Endymion turned his hand to capture hers, raising it to his lips to brush a kiss across her knuckles. "Just look what happened when _I_ got to know you better," he said, with a faint smile.

A faint pink blush of embarrassed delight crept over Serenity's cheeks, even as she smiled. "When do you think I can meet your guardians? The – what did you call them?"

"The Shitennou?" Endymion drew her in closer by her captive hand, and slid an arm around her slender figure. "I'm...not sure. I fear they all believe the stories about your people. I want to try to convince them otherwise before I try to force the issue."

Serenity sighed, resting her head against his chest. "I don't know what my guardians would think, either, to be honest. I just wish..."

"I know. Believe me, beloved, I know." Endymion smiled down at her, then decided that such talk was too dark for a day such as this, and changed the subject. "So if there isn't a gate on Earth, how do you get here so easily?"

"Oh, I can access the great gate from anywhere, because it's keyed to me." Serenity looked vaguely relieved at the change of topic, and reached up to the crescent on her forehead. "It recognizes the royal family no matter where we are – all I have to do is open a portal to it."

Endymion frowned thoughtfully as he listened. "Your world is full of wonders, my love. I would like to see such things someday."

Serenity lifted her hand to his face, brushing light fingertips along his jaw as she smiled sweetly at him. "Don't be so quick to dismiss your world," she replied. "It, too, is full of wonder."

"Mm. So it is." He smiled at her in return; their eyes met and held for a long moment of silence before he finally leaned in and kissed her with a gentle passion which had only grown in the time they were apart. At that moment the warm breeze stirred, sending a spray of spring blossoms drifting past the couple, as though Earth itself were bestowing its blessing on the lovers.

oooooooooo

Yet another idyllic spring day, and the prince had yet again disappeared on one of his mysterious outings. After a frustrating and fruitless search of the palace, Nephrite had finally drifted past Kunzite and diffidently suggested that he check the rose maze.

Kunzite hadn't much liked the man's tone – it implied, to him, that Nephrite already knew something of what was going on and hadn't bothered to share that information. He made a mental note to speak with the seer a little more extensively, and soon, but for now had more important things to deal with.

As Kunzite stalked through the maze, he puzzled over the prince's odd behavior of late. All these disappearances were unlike him – or rather, the "him" Endymion had been before...before the envoy's visit. And the location to which he was heading only have him more cause for concern. The rose maze was a favorite with the court ladies, and infamous for being a quiet place for a romantic tryst. Could it be possible that the prince had found a lover? And if so, why was he hiding the fact, when the entire kingdom was waiting breathlessly for the man to marry and produce an heir?

These thoughts occupied Kunzite's mind as he strode the paths of the maze, boots crunching on the glittering white pebbles that lined the walkway. He passed various nooks and grottos but found them all empty; he was beginning to doubt Nephrite's information when he finally arrived in the center of the maze – a place few reached, for the difficulty of getting there – and found his worst fears realized.

There, indeed, was the prince. And he was with – involved in a rather passionate kiss with – a young blonde woman in a flowing white gown. As the Shitennou paused not far away and cleared his throat, the pair pulled apart, casting startled (and no little bit guilty) looks toward him.

Kunzite's eyes widened as he saw the golden crescent on the girl's brow. "Gods and powers above," he growled, his hand dropping unconsciously to his sword's hilt. A moon witch, here to bespell the prince?

Endymion, recognizing the look on his guardian's face, stepped between the girl and the Shitennou, effectively hiding her from view. "You don't understand, Kunzite," he said, in what he hoped was a soothing tone. "This is Princess Serenity, heir to the throne of the Silver Millennium. And...and my fiancée."

"No." Kunzite's hand tightened on the sword's hilt, and it was only with a supreme effort of will that he managed not to draw it. "You cannot mean this."

"I can." Endymion's chin set, stubbornly, as he reached behind himself to clasp the girl's hand. "We met several moons ago, and fell in love. And now I plan to marry her. Think, Kunzite, about the opportunity this gives! Both our kingdoms, uniting peacefully? My father, I'm sure, would have given his blessing."

Kunzite's lips pressed together until they disappeared into a thin line. He counted backwards from ten in every language he knew, invented a couple more, and finally drew in a deep breath before he thought his voice would be level again. "Were it not a disrespectful thing to say to my liege lord, I would ask him if he had lost his ever-blessed mind," he observed, stiffly. "I would, however, wonder if my lord had considered the likely reaction of his people when they find that he plans to marry one they consider not only inhuman, but one of their greatest threats."

Endymion frowned and gently drew the girl forward, keeping hold of her hand as he slid his other arm around her slender waist. "Look, Kunzite. Look past your prejudices and see. They are just as human as we are. She is not someone to be feared. And no matter what, she is my beloved, and I _will_ marry her."

As Kunzite met the princess' eyes, for just a moment he felt lost in them, encompassed by an overwhelming peace and love, a kindness with no boundaries, and he felt a glimmer of the serenity for which she was named. But he shook his head once, sharply, and refocused on the prince as his anger only flared hotter within him. That was how the moon people enspelled you – drew you in and forced you to love, overrode your own feelings to be replaced by what _they_ wanted you to feel. Trapped you in a gilded cage, comfortable and soft, but still a cage.

"This cannot be, my prince," Kunzite replied, voice icily formal. "If I may be excused, I must inform the others that I found you, though I'm not entirely sure I can say you are either safe or sound."

Endymion's face flushed dark at that, and he gave a curt nod. "You may go. I will be there to speak with all four of you shortly."

Kunzite bowed low and stepped back before turning, the movement crisp and militarily precise, then took the unusual course of teleporting back to the common room mid-step. The haste was necessary in this case, as the Shitennou would need time to confer before the prince returned. Time to plan for the disaster that Kunzite suddenly realized was about to befall them – and the entire kingdom.

* * *


	6. Chapter 5

To say that the Shitennou didn't react well to Kunzite's news would be like saying the ocean was a little damp. He noticed with interest, however, the different reactions the others had to it. Jadeite immediately flushed with anger and began pacing the room, stiff-legged. Zoisite went pale and toyed with the end of his ponytail as his lips thinned into a narrow line. Nephrite's expression, however, remained entirely unchanged.

"Did you know about this?" Kunzite demanded, moving to stand in front of the red-haired seer's chair, leaning forward slightly in an attempt to meet the man's eyes.

"I suspected something of the sort," Nephrite replied, voice distant. "The stars spoke of a forbidden love, and the moon's aspect was-"

"And you didn't _say_ anything?" Kunzite's voice rose into an unaccustomed roar, startling the other two Shitennou and finally impelling Nephrite to look up at him. Grumpy he might be, the eldest of the four almost never raised his voice – and never to one of his brothers. "This is _serious_ , Nephrite, and if you have any more secrets floating around in that head of yours, I need to know them. Now."

The four of them stood frozen in place for long heartbeats – Kunzite staring down Nephrite, who returned his gaze coolly, with Jadeite and Zoisite looking between the eldest two in some shock. The tableau was finally broken as the door to the room creaked open and a new arrival cleared her throat softly. "Pardon me, gentlemen," Beryl said, eyebrows lifting as she noted the obvious tension in their postures. "I believe we need to talk."

They hesitated a moment longer, this time exchanging glances and shifting posture as their solidarity returned in the face of an outside intruder. Kunzite slowly straightened and faced her. "What about, madam?"

"The moon kingdom." Beryl glanced at each of the four in turn, meeting their eyes when possible, all with a serious expression. "My sources say that they plan to bring our planet into their empire – but on their terms. I thought that you four, as close as you are to the prince, and as much as you work with the primary defenses of the kingdom, ought to be made aware of this right away. But, my apologies - I see you are all...preoccupied at the moment. I will leave you to your discussion, but please let me know when you are available to speak – if you are interested in the information, that is." Though she was obviously curious as to what was going on with them, she bowed slightly and let herself out again, pulling the door quietly closed behind her.

"Could it be...?" Zoisite asked, finally, his soft voice breaking the long silence after her departure. "Is this their first move?"

Jadeite stepped closer, fists clenched at his side. "The moon witch put a spell on Endymion so she could get close to him. To put herself in a position of power in the kingdom. It sounds like something they would do."

Kunzite scowled as he considered the idea, and was forced to admit that it seemed plausible – and also, more alarmingly, lent some credence to the idea that the moon people also had something to do with the king's death. Better to seduce the soon-to-be-king with nobody in the way of succession, after all.

The door opened again then and further conversation was prevented as the prince himself entered. Endymion paused in the doorway, surveying the postures and expressions of his four friends and guardians, and his jaw tightened slightly in reaction. "I'm sure that you all have a lot of questions for me?" he finally asked, stepping into the room and allowing the door to drift closed behind him.

"No, your highness," Zoisite replied, as he rose to his feet. "I believe that we only have one, and that would be, 'why?'"

Endymion sighed and moved to his usual chair, lowering himself into it wearily. "She was with the delegation last year – in disguise. I happened to meet her in the gardens one day and discovered who she was. And, well...we love each other," he finished, with a helpless shrug.

"They say the moon people are good at getting you to feel what they want you to feel," Jadeite observed in a neutral tone, watching the wall to one side rather than looking directly at the prince. "So good, in fact, that you won't even realize they're doing it."

Zoisite nodded slowly, glancing toward his younger brother. "And they aren't even truly human. They defy nature and give themselves abnormally long lifespans, even alter their appearances to make themselves more comely."

Kunzite frowned at the younger pair and they subsided, at which the prince was visibly relieved. His relief vanished quickly, however, as the other began to speak. "Even if your, ah, _intended_ were truly human, my lord prince, the laws of both our kingdoms expressly forbid it. Would you truly set your own laws aside at a whim? What would that mean to your people?"

It was obvious from his expression that Endymion had not expected such fierce resistance from his four closest companions, and he could only stare at them in astonishment before finally turning to the last, who had as yet not spoken. "Nephrite?"

The seer's gaze remained far away even as his face turned toward the prince. "I gave my warning some time agone," he replied, quietly. "Did you truly believe it not worth heeding? Would you betray your kind and kindred, throw aside vows and duty, all to seek comfort in the arms of an alien princess?"

Endymion's face flushed, then grew pale, and he pushed himself abruptly to his feet. "You cannot see, can you?" he demanded fiercely. "Will you stay blinded to the truth, behind your old prejudices and hatreds?"

Kunzite held up one hand to forestall anything further, calmly regarding his irate liege. "Your highness. People will not change their opinions in an instant – and especially not because someone grew angry with them. Your position comes with certain responsibilities and duties, which you seem determined to throw aside in search of your own pleasure. Can _you_ not see?"

Endymion hesitated a moment, then finally drew in a deep breath and shook his head. "I love her," came the firm reply. "And she loves me. We _will_ find a way to be together." Without waiting for further argument, he stalked into his chambers and closed the door behind himself.

Silence fell heavy across the room as the four men looked at each other, at a loss for words.

"It must be the work of the moon witch," Jadeite finally suggested, moving closer and dropping heavily into a chair. "She's beguiled him, stolen away his heart – and quite possibly his mind as well."

Nephrite blinked, then slowly turned to regard his youngest brother. "I like that idea better than the alternative – even if it seems less likely to be true."

"And what is the alternative?" Zoisite asked, with obvious reluctance.

"That the prince has chosen to betray us all – in favor of the moon people," Nephrite replied.

oooooooooo

"My lord Kunzite?"

Kunzite paused, but did not bother to look around at the woman addressing him. "Beryl," he acknowledged, voice neutral.

"My lord, the rumors are flying," the mage said, as she drew up even with him. "Is it true what they say, that Prince Endymion asked the queen for permission to wed this moon princess?"

Kunzite's customary stern expression remained unchanged. "Is that what they say?"

Beryl frowned at him in return, folding her arms across her chest. "It's a rather alarming development, if you ask me. It's not like him at all, to throw aside all his responsibilities over something so small as a girl."

"Hn. You would know, wouldn't you." Kunzite began walking again, watching the hallway ahead rather than her.

A hint of color touched Beryl's cheeks as she belatedly moved to follow. "That's not the point. It seems rather obvious to me that she's bespelled him. The moon kingdom must be planning something, and this is just the first step. Once they have our future king under their control, how soon until they move on to the rest of the populace?"

"And you are bringing this to my attention, because?" Kunzite inquired, raising one pale brow as he finally glanced down at her.

"You've been the prince's closest advisor since he was a child," Beryl said, with a look of surprise that he didn't realize the obvious. "Surely you could tell what she has done to him, perhaps help him break free of it?"

Kunzite halted abruptly, turning to completely face her as he placed both hands firmly on her shoulders. "Listen to me, and listen well," he said, voice low and intent. "Though I find it hard to believe you truly have only the good of the kingdom in mind, I will listen to your advice and investigate the possibility. However, I will _not_ allow you to interfere with the prince. I would prefer, in fact, that you stay far away from him. No matter what else, he is still my lord and I will fulfill my duty."

"And what of his duty to you, my lord Kunzite?" Beryl asked, softly, meeting his eyes with no fear, but rather a hint of defiance. "If he chooses to betray all that he should hold dear, does he still deserve such loyalty?"

"I have said all I intend to." Kunzite drew back again and looked away. "I will do what I can to investigate the situation. You, however, will leave the prince alone."

Beryl shrugged, the gesture almost insolent. "I will do what I can," she retorted, before turning on her heel and striding off down the hallway again.

oooooooooo

Endymion had expected the Shitennou to be pleased that he had finally found someone he loved, to support him against the opposition he realized it would bring – but he certainly hadn't expected said opposition to begin quite so soon. He paced the walkways of the maze, gaze downward as he brooded intently on the issue.

Perhaps it truly _had_ been foolish to bring up the issue with the queen his mother in such a public venue. But after the fairly disastrous talk with his guardians, he had only become desperate to find _someone_ who wouldn't immediately disagree with him. Unfortunately, while his mother hadn't rejected the idea outright, he had realized too late how the atmosphere in the room had changed when the courtiers heard what he had to say. They had wanted him to get married, but – not to her. The looks they cast his direction said _that_ quite clearly.

His people, he knew, weren't fond of the moon kingdom – but surely, he had believed that once the two realms were united in marriage that would change. The two peoples would have the opportunity to finally get to know one another, after the ban on interaction had of necessity been lifted, and in the face of reality rumor would have to fade. But now, he was honestly starting to wonder if his people were truly ready. As the rumors began to filter down into the town over the last few hours since he'd left the open court, he'd received word that several people had appeared on corners, denouncing him as a traitor to his people and kingdom. Although enough people still remained loyal that the outcries were quickly suppressed, it still troubled him immensely.

And so he had sought the solitude of the rose maze in the gardens; although he hadn't expected his beloved to appear again so soon, just being there brought memories of her that were sufficient to soothe him. After the two of them had been interrupted by Kunzite, they realized that the time for secrets was over, and Serenity had returned to tell her mother and guardians of what was going on, and he didn't expect her to be able to return soon. If the results were good, he was sure they would receive a request for a formal diplomatic visit, to negotiate the betrothal; if they were bad, he wasn't entirely sure she would return at all.

That thought, however, made him unconsciously slow in his steps, troubled. How _were_ the two of them going to be together? Even if the moon queen approved of it, his own lady mother would have to be convinced. As would his subjects. But he loved Serenity too much to consider the alternative; against her, all the ladies of his court were but pale imitations of beauty.

To his surprise, he caught sight of his princess ahead of him as he rounded a corner, her golden hair and white gown near-incandescent in the bright sunlight. As he hurried his steps to join her she heard his approach and turned, and he abruptly stopped short for a moment when he caught sight of the tears staining her face. "Serenity?" he asked, moving to pull her into his arms. "What is it?"

Unable to speak, she buried her face against his chest, clenching her hands around fistfuls of the fabric of his shirt. Worry settled into the pit of his stomach as he stroked her hair gently, waiting for her to collect herself.

"It's...my mother," she finally said, voice soft and uneven. "She forbade me to...to ever see you again. I managed to sneak away...one last time, but after this – I don't think I'll ever be able to return." Serenity drew in a long, shuddering breath, turning her face up toward him, blue eyes bright with tears. "I don't think I've ever seen her so upset before. The senshi were ordered to watch me, but...I think they allowed me a...a final visit."

His eyes tightened involuntarily about her. Never to see her again? Impossible. Unthinkable. He could not accept it. There had to be _some_ way...

She finally pulled away, brushing the back of a hand against her cheek in a belated effort to dash away the tears. "I...I need to return," she said, voice trembling. "They'll be looking for me. But..."

She took his hand and pressed something into it; he felt cool metal, oddly shaped, with the rounded points on the edges pressing into his palm as he closed his hand around it, but spared not a glance for the thing at the moment. "This should let you access the great gate on the moon," Serenity told him, meeting his eyes with a suddenly intense gaze. "If you ever need...if...it's not easy, but you should be able to do it. If there is ever a _need_."

Endymion puzzled at the emphasis on that last word, but pushed the thought away for the time being as she lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed him. Fully aware that this might be their last meeting, the lovers clung to each other for longer than was perhaps wise, unwilling to let go until they could hear approaching footsteps.

"Go, my love," Endymion whispered, reluctantly drawing back. Unable to tear his eyes away from her, he watched as she closed her eyes, her form growing indistinct until she faded away entirely. Gone from that planet, but hopefully not forever gone from his life.

The steps he'd heard drew closer and finally paused a short distance away, and he heard Kunzite clear his throat softly. "Your highness."

Endymion closed his eyes for a moment, then slowly turned his back on the last place he had seen his beloved. "Yes?" he asked, reluctantly.

"Prince Endymion," Kunzite began, all stern formality despite the fact that there was nobody else there to see. Endymion felt a pang of loss, already missing the friend he had grown up with. Had he truly alienated them so quickly and so well? He hoped not, for the next words made him realize he would truly need his guardians' strength in the near future: "I regret to inform you that the southernmost duchies have declared themselves independent entities, no longer subject to the rule of the monarchy."

oooooooooo

Such rebellion could not be tolerated, of course, but how exactly to deal with it? That remained a serious question. The ensuing meetings with the high nobility, strategists, military leaders, and everyone else who might have something to say about the issue stretched far into the night. It was only when the queen's secretary fell asleep across his page of notes that the prince finally called an end for the evening, suggesting that everyone get some sleep and reconvene in the morning.

The Shitennou silently accompanied their liege back to the common room, and there he paused for a moment, turning to look each one in the eye individually. "All four of you have stood by me for many years now," he observed, voice quiet but firm. "I want you to know that I appreciate all that you have done for me, all that you have sacrificed in the name of protecting the kingdom and myself. I realize that you don't agree with...my feelings for Princess Serenity, but I ask that you set that aside for now, and help me keep this kingdom whole."

Kunzite bowed low, and after half a second's hesitation the other three followed suit. "Your highness, we are ever bound by our oaths," the eldest of the four replied, spokesman for the group. "We will defend you and our kingdom to the best of our abilities. Always."

Endymion managed a tired smile at that, and bowed his head in acknowledgment. "Thank you. All of you. Now, please – get some rest. I'm sure something will come up to rouse us in mere hours, so we should take advantage of what time we get."

Putting action to words, he nodded to each once more, then turned and headed for his quarters. The four guardians followed suit immediately after; splitting up with weary farewells, they each headed off to catch what sleep was possible before the none-too-distant dawn.

Upon entering his quarters, though, Nephrite hesitated as he closed his door behind him - his skin suddenly prickling uncomfortably as the voices of the stars all but screamed in his mind. Usually he had to seek them, but this time, his inner ear was all but deafened by a warning of danger. He dropped to a wary crouch, one hand lowering to the hilt of the sword he fortunately had not yet removed, and extended his senses...

And found nothing. No hint of danger. Nobody in the room other than himself; the closest person he could sense, in fact, was Kunzite next door. Nephrite slowly straightened again, puzzled, and reached out his mind toward the stars to ask what they were warning him of – and was distracted just enough by it that he didn't sense the person teleporting in behind him until too late. With merely a touch of a hand on his shoulder he felt himself frozen in place, bound by a dark power that was both unfamiliar and yet terrifyingly not at the same time.

"You always are vulnerable when you consult those stars of yours," he heard a female voice say, though it was hard to hear over a strange roaring in his ears. Had he been able, Nephrite would have widened his eyes in unaccustomed surprise to see Beryl move around to stand before him – yet it was not the Beryl he was used to seeing. Her attire was odd, not like her usual mage's robe, her scarlet hair now unbound and falling down her back in long waves. Nor was her voice quite her own as she spoke, sounding somehow overlaid with another's, a much colder, harder, and older one. "And yet you see much, when you do. Too much."

The woman stepped forward, lifting a hand and holding it a short distance before his heart, palm toward him. "Fascinating work here," she murmured, eyes half-closed as she examined something not quite of this reality. "The priest of Elysion worked a masterpiece when he created the bindings on you four. And I appreciate the opportunity you're giving me to study it now, little oracle."

As she stood there, Nephrite thought he could feel something almost like cold fingers stroking through his mind; though he was physically unable to shudder, his skin crawled as extreme discomfort itched along his spine. Fiercely he battled against the intrusion with all the power he had, but the...entity, whatever it was, shrugged it off as though it hardly felt a thing. "I think you'll be quite useful indeed," not-Beryl finally observed, lifting her hand to cradle his cheek in a parody of a lover's caress. "Once those far-seeing eyes are only watching what I _want_ them to see..."

Her hand slid around behind the back of his head, pulling him down to meet her in a fierce, almost hungry kiss. Darkness washed over Nephrite's mind at the contact, filling him until he felt he must drown in it, and leaving no thought in his mind but the woman he suddenly found himself holding in his arms. And then it claimed him utterly, and he knew no more.


	7. Chapter 6

"Nephrite. Hey. Wake up."

The sound of his name slowly drew him back to consciousness again, along with the feel of a hand on his shoulder, shaking him not terribly gently. Waking was an unusual effort, though; despite having just been asleep, Nephrite felt utterly drained of energy, his thoughts sluggish and movements slow. "'m awake," he muttered, voice sounding strange in his ears.

"You could've fooled me." As Nephrite blinked at the other standing beside his bed, taking a second to focus, he finally recognized Jadeite giving him a look of mingled annoyance and concern. "You okay? You overslept...a lot. Kunzite made me come get you."

Nephrite slowly managed to push himself to a sitting position, bringing a hand to his forehead. "I...what? How late is it..." He paused there, finally realizing the angle of the light in his quarters. "It's late. Gods, did I miss anything?"

Jadeite shrugged a little. "Just more of the same, so far. No new developments from the south as yet. Everyone regathered around mid-morning, but they're still arguing the exact same things from last night. Kunzite said to tell you if you're ill you can stay away, and we can call you if we need something. Oh, and he also says that if you see anything to tell him immediately." He hesitated, then squinted at his older brother with a small frown. "Really, are you okay? You look kind of...not good."

"Mm." Nephrite rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes, wondering why he felt so very groggy. He'd never been a morning person, but had never had this much of a problem waking up. Maybe he _was_ coming down with something. It would be a wonderful time for that to happen, certainly. "I think so. Maybe I just didn't sleep well. I...had some strange dreams."

Jadeite just blinked at him in complete incomprehension. "...and?"

"I..." Nephrite paused, then sighed. Honestly, he couldn't remember the substance of the dreams – just that they were oddly disturbing, and left him with a vague sense of danger. That had been the theme of his visions for some time now, but now it seemed a little more immediate, somehow. But the details completely eluded him when he grasped at memory. "Never mind. It's nothing. Tell the others I'll be there soon."

"If you say so." Jadeite frowned at his older brother for a moment longer, then finally turned away and let himself out of the room.

Nephrite remained where he was for a moment longer, absently raking his fingers through his hair and tugging at it gently when he reached the ends. What _was_ going on? Why were his memories of the previous night so fuzzy? And why did he feel so utterly exhausted?

oooooooooo

Jadeite returned to find that the meeting had broken up for a short break; the participants were milling about in the chamber, forming into small groups to discuss various issues amongst themselves. From the looks on the faces of many, and the looks he could see some of them casting in Endymion's direction, the topics of discussion were quite serious, and most likely involved the prince himself.

Kunzite glanced over at Jadeite as he joined them, frowning a little when he noticed the younger Shitennou was alone. "Is everything all right?"

Jadeite shrugged, finding a nearby wall against which to slouch, ever casual no matter the situation. "Hard to tell with him, isn't it?" he replied, almost indifferent. Kunzite gave him an annoyed glare, at which point he sighed and shrugged again. "He says he was having strange dreams – but doesn't remember what they were, I already asked – and will be here in a few minutes. Said he's sorry, doesn't know what happened, promised it won't ever happen again, and so on and so forth."

As Jadeite spoke, an odd expression passed over Zoisite's face, and he suddenly turned away. Noticing the movement, Kunzite glanced in his direction, arching a brow curiously. "Zoisite? Something wrong?"

"Nothing." Zoisite all but bit off the word, giving lie to his claim. "I just...I'm going to go get some fresh air before all the talking starts again." Without another word, the man moved off, his posture oddly stiff.

The others watched him go, somewhat puzzled. "Huh," Jadeite said, as he watched Zoisite's back. "What's wrong with _him_?"

Kunzite's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, his brow creasing in a frown. "I wonder."

oooooooooo

When a messenger arrived with a dispatch from the south, word spread quickly and the meeting was hastily reconvened to hear what he had to say. Word had come, apparently, from a mage in one of the rebellious duchies, sending what information he had on ahead as he made his way back to the central region which held the palace.

The rebels, he reported, had rallied behind a "queen" who led them with the promise of a reign free of the taint of the moon kingdom. The woman had declared that Endymion's wish to marry the moon princess was a sign the monarchy was weak, sick, or about to bow to the whim of a foreign power. He regretted that he had not been able to find any details about this queen, not even so much as her name. Those who followed her, however, spoke of her in reverent tones, describing her as something close to a goddess descended to the Earth. She could work miracles, it was whispered. She could surely wipe out the moon kingdom once and for all, and remove forever the threat they posed to the people of the Earth.

Nephrite arrived in the middle of the reading of the letter, moving silently to his empty seat and settling down with an apologetic look to his brothers. Endymion spared a concerned frown in his direction; the man still looked quite pale, with dark shadows under his eyes and in the hollows of his cheeks, almost as though he had dropped weight overnight. The prince quickly returned to the news being given, however, quite concerned about that as well.

Zoisite's answering glance at his older brother was quite brief, and very chilly indeed; Nephrite noticed and hesitated, looking only puzzled in return. After a second, Zoisite finally shook his head and turned away, looking back toward the messenger once more. Baffled by the silent exchange, the seer forced himself to listen as well.

Once the messenger had finished, he bowed and excused himself. In his wake, silence reigned in the chamber as the various personages present glanced at each other, with expressions ranging from angry to thoughtful to even some who seemed a little pleased (though they tried to hide it).

Endymion finally rose and cleared his throat quietly. "I think perhaps we need more information on the exact situation in the southern duchies. Are they preparing to move against the surrounding areas, or are they going to simply fortify their current holdings? And what about this alleged "queen" who leads the rebellion?" He glanced around the room, surveying the expressions of those in attendance, then finally turned toward the latest arrival. "Nephrite? If you're feeling better, and are willing?"

Nephrite was briefly startled to be so addressed, and hesitated a moment; he was oddly reluctant to consult the stars, for a reason he couldn't quite put his finger on. He told himself he was just tired, chided himself for his unwillingness, and finally nodded. The others in the room suddenly looked far more interested and unobtrusively shifted their chairs to face him. Nephrite only rarely invoked his power in front of those outside the princes' "circle," but his abilities were much spoken of in rumor.

After taking a couple of breaths to compose his mind, Nephrite closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. He slipped into a light trance, making certain he was absolutely ready before reaching out to the distant stars – they were hard to reach while the sun yet shone, and it wouldn't do to get lost.

Nephrite sat still and silent for a handful of heartbeats before his eyes slowly opened again, revealing them to be almost completely drained of color, now a pale blue instead of their usual sapphire. "One who is two leads the way, influence and reach spreading – but hidden deep in the shadows and sunlight," he said, voice echoing unnaturally in the chamber, its sound overlaid with a silvery overtone as though accompanied by soft chimes.

"Who is she?" Endymion moved to stand before Nephrite's chair, raising his voice slightly and asking the questions with firm authority. This was a routine that had been established long before; it could be difficult to get through to the seer when his mind was distant, but the prince had had practice over the years they had spent together. "By what right does she claim her title?"

"Power and force give the right, take what they will," Nephrite replied, gaze focused far beyond anything of the world. "But right of blood–" His words cut off with a strangled gasp as the pale blue of his eyes was suddenly awash in a sea of deepest black. He pushed abruptly to his feet, the movement unnaturally jerky, as though impelled by some outside force. When he spoke again the faint music overlaying his voice was gone; now it seemed as though another voice was talking through him, lending a harsh, biting quality to his words. "By sun's power the queen will reign, and Earth eclipse the moon!"

After the last words were forced out of his lips, the blackness left the seer's eyes as quickly as it had arrived, and he slowly collapsed. Endymion hastily lunged forward, catching the man before he could hit the floor, even as murmurs of alarm rose all around.

oooooooooo

The meeting had been hastily adjourned as the unconscious Nephrite was carried off to be seen by the healers; Endymion and Kunzite had insisted on carrying him themselves, and without the prince in attendance there wasn't much point in continuing the discussion. Some, however, lingered in the room after most of the others had left.

Zoisite made a pretense of poring over the papers on the table in front of him for some time, even as those around him rose and made their way out of the room. Once the chamber was almost empty he finally rose to his feet, then headed toward the door, casually allowing his path to drift over toward Beryl's chair; once there he paused for just a moment. "I saw you leaving this morning," he observed, voice quiet but full of tension. "Did you have a pleasant evening with Nephrite?"

Beryl rose to her feet, calmly gathering her own notes; anyone observing her might think she was discussing the weather with the Shitennou, for her expression was completely disinterested. "Does it matter to you how I choose to spend my evenings?" she inquired, without bothering to look in his direction.

"Beryl–" The word came out a little sharper than he had intended, and with a self-conscious glance toward those still in the room, Zoisite quickly lowered his voice once more. "I have told you how I feel. You said that we had to break it off for the sake of our separate duties – and yet you're willing to ignore that when it comes to _him_?"

The mage only gave an unconcerned shrug, tapping the papers on the table to straighten them before tucking them under her arm. "I still don't see how my affairs are any of your business, Zoisite. You have no claim on me."

She started to turn away then, and he reached out involuntarily toward her, only checking the motion when he remembered there was still a potential audience present. "Beryl...please." Zoisite could hear the begging tone in his voice, but found he didn't care. "Can we speak somewhere else? Somewhere a little more private?"

Beryl glanced back over her shoulder at him, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. "Very well," she finally replied. "Tonight, on the north tower. I'll be on watch, so there will be none to disturb us."

Zoisite nodded slightly, then gave her a polite bow and turned away, pushing through a knot of people gathered near the doorway with uncharacteristic roughness as he left the room. Only after that small crowd had finally drifted out the door at last did Jadeite step out of a shadowed alcove nearby and fall into step with Beryl as she went past. "You seem to enjoy playing us all off of one another," he observed, voice mild. "You do realize that if you hurt any of my brothers in truth, I will be _most_ displeased?"

"Oh, don't worry," she replied, casting a sidelong glance toward the young man, seeming not at all surprised by his sudden appearance. "I intend only to help you all in the end. And I'm willing to give my oath on that, should you require it."

Jadeite gave her a searching look, his expression uncharacteristically serious for the moment. "Mmm. Very well," he said at last, then started to move past her out of the room.

"Wait," Beryl said, reaching out to touch his arm lightly. When he turned back toward her, almost startled, she took a step closer, lips curving upward in a smile. "Was that assurance truly the _only_ thing you desired of me?"

After a second's hesitation, a smile slowly dawned on his own face in return. "Well. No. I suppose not," he replied. He started to close the rest of the distance between them, but then paused as he heard voices approaching. "But we still shouldn't be seen together – the prince hasn't changed his mind on that, the last I heard."

Beryl took a step back in reaction to the same sound, and nodded in agreement. "The usual place, then. Be there in half an hour," she ordered, tossing her hair as she turned to go.

"Gladly." Jadeite grinned, pleased, as he watched her go. This was one appointment he wouldn't be late for.

oooooooooo

Late in her watch that evening, Beryl stood atop the north tower of the castle, feeling the night breeze toy with her hair and robes. She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes briefly, blocking out the sight of the hated moon overhead so that even it could not spoil her mood. As she thought about the events of the previous few hours, she could not help but feel smugly satisfied at the success of her plan thus far.

With tensions already running high, Prince Endymion's announcement of his wish to marry the moon princess seemed almost tailor-made to help her further her own ends. Not only that, but it gave her a certain satisfaction to turn his foolish actions back upon him; the foolish man deserved exactly what he was getting, and what else she had planned for him.

Her contacts in the south had been ready and waiting for only her word to begin, and the revolution had been finished almost overnight. And now – even better. She had known from the beginning that having the Shitennou on her side was vital to the success of her plan, though she had never fully comprehended _why_ that was until she had managed to get a chance to study one of them up close. But at this point, she already had three of them under her control. After her success with Nephrite, Jadeite and Zoisite had almost literally walked right into her waiting arms.

Beryl's lips curved into a pleased smile, though one that likely would have alarmed anyone who was observing her at the moment, for the malice inherent in the expression. "Everything is going exactly as planned," she murmured.

 _You only have three of them right now, though._ Her ally's voice drifted almost lazily into her mind, bringing with it a faint sense of bitter cold and darkness.

"Oh, don't worry," Beryl replied, nothing but confidence in her voice. "I will have the fourth quite soon."

Metaria's voice took on an almost taunting quality as she replied. _Such arrogance. Are you truly so certain?_

The mage reacted not to the tone, but focused merely on the words; her self-assurance dimmed not a whit as she spoke. "I am. I can assure you, I have plans already in the works. He will follow his brothers soon – he will have no choice."

The sense of the dark entity's presence began to slowly fade away again, as though she had lost interest in the conversation. _Just remember,_ she murmured, as she went, _I only continue to help you if you continue to succeed. Do not fail me..._ _ **Queen**_ _Beryl._

Queen. Beryl felt a faint wave of satisfaction wash over her at the sound of the title; Metaria might have been the first one to address her so, but would most certainly not be the last. "I will be queen in truth," she told herself, fingernails scraping harshly against the stone of the parapet as she closed her hand into a fist. "It is only a matter of time."

oooooooooo

It must be some kind of strange new illness, Kunzite thought, as he stared out at the morning sunlight with his brow creased in a deep frown. First Nephrite had fallen ill, following it with his spectacular collapse in the meeting the previous day. The healers had proclaimed themselves unable to see anything physically wrong with him at all, suggesting that perhaps he had just been working too hard with too little rest, and the stress of the whole situation had just gotten to him.

But now, this morning, both Jadeite and Zoisite were showing signs of the same thing. Both had failed to appear for breakfast that morning, and when he went to check on them, found both groggy and hard to awaken; once they did, they insisted they were just fine, but both made passing references to "strange dreams" that had made it hard to sleep.

Kunzite glared at a totally unoffensive bird as it alighted on a branch outside the window. Strange dreams. Something they hadn't thought much of when Nephrite mentioned it, but now...

And even though the healers found nothing wrong, through the bond the four of them shared, Kunzite sensed something quite odd indeed. He found it hard to describe, and so hadn't bothered any of the mages with it, but the feeling was getting stronger by the hour. Either something about his brothers was changing, or the bond itself was. Or both. And every time he tried to investigate it, he got the bitter taste of dark magic on the back of his tongue.

Kunzite sighed finally, turning away from the window. What he was going to tell the prince, he wasn't sure. But he had to say _something_ , if three of his protectors had fallen ill. And perhaps Kunzite would be the next to come down with the mystery illness.

oooooooooo

Worry drove Endymion out to the gardens, to find at least some peace amidst their quiet beauty. His kingdom was in turmoil, his people uneasy, and apparently the root of it all was on his shoulders. His love for one small, delicate girl seemed to be able to unsettle even a kingdom so solidly rooted and calm as his. Even his close advisors, he could tell, were uncertain around him, and the Shitennou...

Endymion's steps faltered briefly, and he found himself staring unseeing at the sunlight glinting on the white rocks of the pathway. Nephrite was still in the infirmary, even a day after his collapse during the meeting. He had only regained consciousness for brief stretches of time, during which it seemed that he was yet beset by visions. It was almost, Endymion mused, like when Nephrite had been young and just coming into his powers; he had spent almost all his days with his mind adrift and spoke only what he heard from the stars.

And this morning, Kunzite had informed him, Jadeite and Zoisite were showing the first symptoms of the malady that had afflicted their brother. If it progressed in a similar fashion with them, they would likely soon join Nephrite in the infirmary. Endymion closed his eyes briefly, brow creasing in pain. Even his healing ability had done nothing for them – there had been nothing there he could even find to touch. Only a faint sense of darkness and cold, elusive and impossible to track down, possibly even a figment of his imagination.

Endymion paused at one of the benches along the path and dropped heavily onto it, resting his elbows on his knees and lowering his face into his hands. He sat that way for a long moment, letting his worries – for his friends and companions, for his subjects, for his kingdom, for his beloved – overwhelm him, but finally drew in a deep breath and straightened again.

He reached into his pocket and drew out the pendant Serenity had left with him the last time he had seen her. When he had first had the chance to examine the thing, he had found only a simple golden pendant, shaped like a five-pointed star with blunted points. As he was turning it over in his hands, however, he had accidentally triggered the hidden catch which revealed it to be a locket; when opened, he had found a lock of Serenity's pale golden hair inside.

Endymion carefully opened it now, delicately touching a fingertip to the silken lock. How he wished things could have been different. That he and his gentle princess could be wed as they wished, could bring their two kingdoms together in peace. He wondered where she was now, what she was thinking. And wished, with all his heart, that he could be with her – could see her, touch her, speak to her of his worries and fears.

In that moment he thought he saw a pale white light flicker along the edge of the locket; it was brief enough to be just a figment of his imagination, but yet...he wasn't certain. Endymion hesitated, then finally sighed and clicked the locket closed once more, sliding it back into his pocket. Wishes were well and good, but he had too much of reality to face right now. Sitting out here would do nothing for that.

As he returned to the palace again, however, Endymion paused to pluck a single scarlet rose from one of the bushes as he passed. They always were Serenity's favorite, and somehow having it with him gave him hope. Gave him the strength to face what he must.


	8. Chapter 7

Kunzite gently laid the unconscious Zoisite on the infirmary bed, glancing over as he straightened up to where Jadeite also lay. His two brothers had just joined the first in this affliction, though it seemed to be manifesting differently in them.

The healer on duty came to stand beside the eldest of the Shitennou, surveying the white-haired man with thoughtful concern. "And you do not feel at all ill, my lord Kunzite?" the man asked, with a frown. "No fatigue, headache, dizziness, anything?"

"No." Kunzite only shook his head, grimly. "I almost wish I could say there was something, because then this might all make a little more sense. But – I feel entirely the same as always."

The healer hesitated a moment, visibly drawing his courage about himself before speaking again. "My lord Kunzite," he began, cautiously, "after examining these latest patients, we – I believe – ah..."

Kunzite turned to face the man, perhaps making it harder for the timid healer to overcome his hesitation by glaring at him fiercely. "What is it? Do you know what is wrong?"

"It seems to be...well, it's...almost exactly like the illness that struck the late king, last winter." The healer drew back slightly as he finished the sentence, as though expecting the Shitennou to strike out in anger at the messenger who brought such news.

Fortunately for him, Kunzite only froze in place upon hearing it, the color draining from his face as he considered the suggestion. "But...how can that be?" he asked, obviously stunned. "They have only been in the palace for months now. Completely safe from...how could such a fell curse have reached them _here_?"

The healer swallowed and shook his head. "I admit I haven't the slightest idea, my lord. I and another, both of whom tended to the king, feel the same thing from them that we did from him. It's...a dark sort of malice. Cold. And its power only grows stronger as they weaken."

Kunzite glanced down at Zoisite again, noting the younger Shitennou's face flushed with fever and brow creased in pain. "Do what you can for them," he finally said, voice soft. "They...my brothers _cannot_ die."

"I...I will do my best, my lord," the healer replied, but the look in his eyes betrayed his knowledge that his best might very well not be good enough. They had already exhausted all possibilities almost a year before, when the king had been struck low by the same malady, and it was not likely that anything would change now.

Kunzite paused by Nephrite's bedside on his way out of th room, pausing to rest a light hand on his younger brother's forehead. He frowned slightly: there was no sign of fever. No symptoms that the other two shared, that the king had displayed. For some reason he did not understand, the seer only seemed to have been consumed by his own gift, rather than a curse – and yet even Kunzite could sense the same darkness behind this, as well, without needing a healer's gift. It made no sense to him, none at all.

As he considered that, though, Nephrite's eyes slowly drifted open; as had been the case since his collapse two days prior, their color was leeched away, his gaze fixed upon otherworldy visions, leaving him blind to the real world. "The two are one," he murmured, voice faint, rasping hoarsely in his throat. "By darkness and blood she reigns, spinning chains insubstantial but binding..."

His lips continued to move even after his voice gave out, but Kunzite could make nothing even of the audible portion. Zoisite had always been the one who could most easily translate oracular gibberish, not he. Kunzite only sighed faintly, half-closing his eyes in concentration as he tried to send a wordless reassurance to his brothers through the link they shared; he paused, though, sensing still more oddness about that link as he focused upon it. It was almost as though –

"The library." Nephrite's voice was suddenly clear, breaking through Kunzite's thoughts and scattering them entirely. He looked sharply toward the seer and was alarmed to see Nephrite's eyes once more had gone entirely black. "The truth revealed, the hypocrisy unmasked, that those who are bound might be set free..."

"What do you mean?" Kunzite leaned in intently, somehow feeling this quite important to understand. "What "truth" is this you speak of?"

Nephrite, however, only stared back at him with eyes unnaturally jet in hue, then breathed out a faint sigh as he fell into unconsciousness once more.

Kunzite scowled, but gently patted his brother's shoulder before turning away. Perhaps it was possible that Nephrite, even lost in dreams as he was, would be able to feel the gesture and derive some measure of comfort from it. For now, though – there was nothing more he could do here. There had to be some cure. Some solution, somewhere. He just had to find it.

oooooooooo

Almost without making the conscious decision to do so, Kunzite found himself standing before the library doors, wondering just exactly what he was supposed to be doing there. Truth revealed. Those who were bound. Ambiguous phrases, but somehow he knew they were directed at him. And at the moment, they were the only thing he had to go on.

He let out a long breath and pushed through the door, wondering where he was supposed to begin. Those who were bound? Well, he and his brothers were bound: to each other, to the prince, to the kingdom as a whole, both by their word and the Earth magics woven by the Elysion priest, long years before.

As he thought about the priest, dead these five years, Kunzite vaguely remembered someone mentioning the man's personal library had been placed in the palace's collection. His treatises on magic and personal notebooks had, apparently become quite popular with the current mages; the priest had, it seemed, been highly skilled at creating new spells.

Kunzite's steps brought him to what he thought was the appropriate area, and he began investigating the shelves, in search of something that looked like it might be significant. He quickly discovered that one among them was sticking out just slightly from its fellows, as though the last patron had been careless in putting it away – or as though it had been carefully placed so that he would notice and find it.

The sense that he was being manipulated for some unknown, and therefore highly suspect, purpose only grew stronger. Kunzite felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he cautiously removed the slender volume and opened it.

The book proved to be one of the priest's personal journals, and Kunzite was mildly startled to discover that one of the first entries was about him; in it, the priest described how he had been found and identified as one of the prince's prophesied guardians. The Shitennou absently drifted to a nearby chair and lowered himself into it even as he read, suddenly interested despite himself. He leafed past entries about the continued search, the discovery of the boys who would later become Nephrite, Zoisite, and Jadeite, descriptions of their testing and training. And then one entry caught his eye and simultaneously turned his blood to ice in his veins.

 _The prophesy says that the prince will be betrayed by those he most trusts_ , Kunzite read, going back over each sentence twice as he went, to make sure he was reading it correctly. _Though it pains me to consider the idea, these four boys will be very likely to be in that position when the time foretold comes to pass. I cannot allow them to become his betrayers, and so despite the laws that forbid it, despite my own morals and misgivings, I have chosen to build a geas into the bindings I have created for them. A compulsion which will not allow them to even consider breaking their vows. This future must not come to pass. I will not let it. But I can only hope that these innocent boys, and all the gods and powers that may be, as well as my own conscience, can forgive me for what I do._

Kunzite paused as he reached the last sentence, knowing that he must look entirely as stricken as he felt. A magical compulsion. One of the things most unforgivable under Earth law, one of the few things that would have a mage sentenced to death should it be discovered that he had set one. Removing one's free will was the most heinous of crimes – which was why the moon kingdom's rumored willingness to do it caused so much distrust and hatred amongst the citizens of Earth.

"The hypocrisy unmasked," Kunzite murmured, eyes widening as he realized. The priest of Elysion had presided over trials of those who had so misused their gifts – all the while knowing that he himself was guilty of the same crime. If this had been discovered...

Kunzite rose to his feet as he snapped the book closed, hand tightening about it until the leather cover creaked. Was that why the man's funeral had been so subdued, unusual for one who held such a high position? Why he was never spoken of now, except when it came to his _legal_ studies of magic? Was there a pall over his memory even now, which the mages liked to pretend did not exist?

In the midst of this mental turmoil, Kunzite still did not miss the soft sound of a footfall on the stone floor behind him; he spun, drawing his blade as he moved, and found himself a moment later with his sword's point hovering before the heart of the mage Beryl.

She, for her part, remained unmoving, only raising one brow slightly as she regarded the naked steel inches from her unprotected vitals. "So now you know, my lord Kunzite," she observed, calmly. "What will you do with that knowledge?"

"This changes nothing," Kunzite replied, regarding the woman for a long moment before finally lowering the sword again – though he did not yet return it to its sheath. "I am still bound by my oath to protect the prince and the kingdom. Nor would I ever abandon my brothers."

"Mm. Truly." Beryl's other brow lifted, her expression turning curious. "Are you certain that the prince _deserves_ your loyalty? Or is that simply what the old priest wanted you to believe? Has Endymion truly earned the trust you have given him, or is that another's will molding your own, depriving you of even the ability to know your own heart?"

Kunzite's scowl only deepened. "You'll not confuse me that way, woman. I have sworn an oath to _Prince_ Endymion," he said, stressing the title all the more for her omission of it. "I will not be forsworn."

Beryl's mouth quirked in the faintest of smiles. "So," she murmured, regarding him thoughtfully before asking, "And what if two of those oaths are in opposition to one another? What then?"

"Speak your piece and move on," Kunzite snapped, abruptly driving his sword back into its sheath with a snap that punctuated his annoyance. "I haven't the time to deal with your forked tongue this day."

She only chuckled softly in return, almost mocking, and apparently immune to being cowed by his displeasure. "If the prince leads the kingdom into disaster, what then?" Beryl asked, her tone holding nothing but apparent curiosity. "Which oath takes precedence? The one to follow him with all the might your compulsions can force out of you, or the one to protect this kingdom and its people?"

Her words scored a hit this time, Kunzite realized; the issue ran far deeper into his heart than he was willing to let her know. But still he only shook his head, refusing to let her see how affected he was by the new, disturbing information, as well as her taunting. "This decision is mine to make, Beryl, and is none of your concern. Now, if you will excuse me..."

"Ah, you remain as stubborn as ever, I see." Beryl held up one hand to block his progress, with what seemed like true regret in her expression. "I know you to be an almost painfully honorable man, my lord Kunzite, but I had hoped that you would make this easier. I suppose that was a vain wish, in the end."

Kunzite was forced to stop by her gesture; it was either that or push her out of the way, and despite everything, he was still loath to lay hands upon a lady, especially an unarmed one, in violence. "Are you trying to threaten me with something, Beryl?" he demanded, impatient to be gone.

Beryl shook her head just a fraction. "No, my lord Kunzite. I do not make threats. I only need to tell you of something that you need to know. The only way that you can save your brothers."

That got his attention in a way that nothing else could have; Kunzite was focused on her again in an instant, intent. "What do you know of this?"

"I am the last one living to have confronted the force that killed the king, as you may recall," Beryl replied, yet remaining calm in the face of his anger. "I can recognize its touch. And I have studied the late priest's notes on the binding spell, and can see the change this curse is working on them."

"Change? What change is that?" Kunzite automatically rested his hand on his sword hilt, as though he might find an enemy he could fight of through physical means, instead of this phantom curse that had beset the other Shitennou. His brothers had been his only family and his closest friends ever since they were children, and his need to protect them was almost overwhelming.

"The bindings were intended to keep the four of you connected," Beryl began, gesturing vaguely as she spoke, as though trying to pantomime the shape of the spells she described. "They were intended to allow you to join your powers together to act as one, as well as to immediately know of danger to another of your number, or injury, or sickness, so that the others would be able to locate and aid the one afflicted. Other spells linked you in the same way to the kingdom, and the prince – if there were something awry in the energy flows of the Earth, or the prince were threatened, you would also know of it. In order to allow them to work in this manner, the spells had to be woven deep into your physical bodies, becoming essentially part of your very being rather than an external force."

Kunzite only grew visibly more impatient, his jaw tightening with anger. "I am quite aware of what I have been living with for a decade, madam. Please get to the point."

The mage looked skyward momentarily, as though imploring the ceiling for patience. "You see," she continued, otherwise acting as though she hadn't been interrupted, "The curse has taken root in the bindings holding you four together and is working to alter them, for some purpose of its own. But since the spell is so inseparably connected to their physical bodies, those are trying to change as well to reflect it – causing the symptoms that you can see." Beryl spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness. "At this point, my lord, they either change with it – or they die."

Kunzite's lips pressed together into a thin line. He was aware that the mage had to be telling him this for some purpose of her own, as he had never known Beryl to be the charitable type. But what it could be, that he was not certain of. "And how, exactly, would this "change" you describe be accomplished?"

This time, the smile dawning on Beryl's face was unmistakable, and bore with it a hint of triumph. It was quite obvious she could tell how much this was affecting him despite his efforts to hide it, and just that fact galled him. "The binding is set up so that only if it is altered on all four of you can it be completely and permanently changed. You as well must give yourself over to the power of the entity behind the curse, and allow the transformation process to complete."

"You did not survive that encounter in the cave by fighting off the...entity, did you," Kunzite observed, voice suddenly flat with anger as well as disgust that he had not realized the truth before now, his hand tightening convulsively about his sword's hilt. How could he – could everyone – have been so foolish? It was all too convenient the way she alone survived, now that he thought about it, but at the time everyone had been...distracted. They had focused on the king's illness, and their grief for the mages who had died in the effort to save him, taking no thought of the one who had survived.

"No, _my lord_ , I did not." Beryl placed a mocking emphasis on the title as she stepped closer to him, her eyes darkening to blackness as she did, all pretense falling away. "I could not catch you by stealth," she observed, almost purring, "for you never let your guard down. Nor could I best you in a contest of power, not without tipping my hand far too soon. No, Kunzite – you have to give yourself up willingly. Choose to join my side. It truly is the only way for your brothers to live, now."

Kunzite almost thought he heard a note of regret in the woman's voice as she spoke her last words, but rejected the idea, deciding that he must be imagining it. His mind whirled, two things foremost in his thoughts: first, that he was a man of honor and would never be forsworn, and second, that he would rather be killed himself than see his brothers die. As the eldest of the four, he felt himself entirely responsible for them; they had ever been, and always would be, his greatest weakness. But how could the woman have possibly known that?

With his customary frown deepening into a fierce scowl, one that would likely have caused any guardsman or courtier to flee and yet had no visible effect on the woman before him, Kunzite pushed the uncertainty from his mind – there was only one choice he could conceivably make. He instead focused on carefully releasing the sword, one finger at a time, then slowly lowered his arms to rest at his side. "Very well, Beryl," he replied, quietly. "You win. You know I cannot just...let them die. Do as you will." In his mind he added the silent plea, _Forgive me, Endymion – for I'm not certain I will be able to do so myself._

Beryl closed the distance between then, lifting her hands as she spoke. "If it is any consolation to you," she offered," this will also remove your forced obedience to the prince. Perhaps now you will learn just who you were truly meant to be."

With that, she rested her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to meet her eyes. Dizziness swept over him as he felt drawn into their blackness; a flood of cold, numbing darkness rose, surging around and through him, sweeping him away until he drowned in it entirely.


	9. Chapter 8

It was a beautiful, sunny summer afternoon, but very few in the palace had the time or opportunity to enjoy it. In one particular room, flooded with bright sunlight, alive with the scent of the flowers blooming just outside the open windows, a small crowd of people huddled together, making the room even warmer and still remaining completely oblivious to the view just outside.

In that room, Endymion was deep in discussion with his generals, all of them crowded around a large table with a map of the entire kingdom, examining the latest movements of the rebel forces. Dispatches had just arrived from their agents in the north, east, and west, all reporting growing activity similar to that which had preceded the open rebellion in the southern duchies. With each report, figures were placed upon the map to show the position of rebel forces as well as those still loyal to the queen and prince, and the picture was slowly growing more and more grim.

The prince's desire to marry the moon princess, it seemed, had become a rallying point for many of the "pure earth" groups – previously ignored as unimportant, just groups of dissidents who liked to chant slogans about the tyranny of the moon kingdom, they had shown themselves to truly be a force to be reckoned with now that all of the fragmented groups had joined forces. The markers for the rebels were increasing in number, surpassing those of the loyal forces – some of whom, it seemed, had even turned coats and joined those they were intended to defend against.

"But where did they come from?" the prince muttered, raking his fingers through his hair as he watched an aide place another handful of rebel markers. "There was no warning, nothing leading up to this. How does a handful of scattered groups suddenly join together to form an army almost overnight?"

The general of the north scowled over the sheet of figures from his region, comparing it to the figures laid out on the map, and shook his head. "Someone has been planning this for quite some time, obviously. Someone who knows how to stay hidden until the time is right to strike."

"It's that "queen" the southerners spoke of," the western general suggested, drumming his fingers against the tabletop with enough force that the figures close to him danced across the map's surface. "Whoever she is, she's the one behind it all. If we can find her, we can put a stop to this whole thing."

"She may have started it, but I don't think ending this will be quite so simple. Once begun..." Endymion sighed, resting both hands flat against the map as he stared unseeing at the representations of the various rebel forces, all turning toward the central region, the heart of the kingdom. "It becomes a tidal wave, unstoppable and destructive."

"Perhaps..." One of the advisors stepped forward, speaking up with the utmost reluctance. "Your highness, if you renounce your wish to marry the moon princess – announce that it was all a misunderstanding, perhaps choose another bride, from Earth – it could do much to calm the fires of the rebellion. It would certainly take away one of their main grievances..."

Endymion drew himself up to his full height as the advisor spoke, until the man finally stuttered to a halt and took a step back at the forbidding expression on the prince's face. "I will not," Endymion said, voice quiet but firm. "I will give everything I have and am in order to deal with this rebellion and bring back peace to this kingdom, but I _will not_ lie. I will not deny this. I love her and nothing will change that fact."

The tense tableau endured between the prince and his advisor for several long minutes, with the military staff looking on in mute shock, until it was broken suddenly: the doors flew open, banging against the wall with a sharp report, and a healer staggered into the room. "Your highness!" she cried, gasping for breath between words. "The Shitennou – they've gone! Disappeared!"

"What?" Endymion took a step away from the table, toward the breathless young woman; the advisor, released from the prince's furious gaze, took advantage of the opportunity to move back into the small crowd, lest he be noticed once more. Endymion, however, had attention only for the messenger. "What do you mean, disappeared?"

The healer shook her head, spreading her hands helplessly. "We...we don't know. One minute they were there, the next..."

Endymion strode forward, leaving the map table behind as he headed for the door, all planning forgotten in the face of something obviously more important to him. "Come with me," he ordered the healer, voice gone flat. "I wish to see." Without so much as a glance back toward those assembled in the room, he was out the door in a moment, the healer belatedly hurrying after, trying to keep up with his longer steps.

The generals were left staring at the man's back in mute shock; only when he was out of sight did they turn back toward each other, tension thick in the air. "We...should get back to work," the northern general finally suggested, gesturing toward the table.

As his words broke the silence, conversation resumed in the room, though it was much more subdued now. The military staff had often worked with the Shitennou, in their capacity as the prince's main bodyguards, and also taking advantage of the four guardians' particular skills. They were well-liked and highly respected by Endymion's advisors, and much of the buzz of conversation that ensued consisted of concern for them and speculation on what could possibly have happened.

The rest of the conversation, however, was less complimentary of the prince himself; ever since this affair with the alien princess had come to light he had been acting...oddly. And they were starting to become concerned about how much he could be trusted to truly protect and lead the kingdom as a prince, as a future king, should. Was his attention perhaps not quite focused where it should be? Was he truly doing everything he could for his kingdom and his people? Though nobody said the words aloud, not these most loyal to the kingdom, not in the palace itself , the thought nonetheless began to grow in their hearts: were the rebels perhaps right?

oooooooooo

Endymion strode toward the infirmary, fear gnawing at his heart as he went. He'd had a growing feeling that something was wrong with his closest friends and advisors, but had chalked it up to the illness that was afflicting them and paid it no particular heed. Now that they had been brought to the forefront of his attention once more, however, he reached out to them through the bond that they shared – but found nothing there at all.

Ever since the Shitennou had been bound to him when he was yet a child, their presence had been a constant, something always in the back of his mind. Whenever he'd been lonely he could reach out and feel them nearby, always there for him. And now, he sensed...nothing.

His greatest fear was that it meant they were dead; Endymion tried to tell himself that, if so, he would surely have felt _that_ , but facts did nothing to calm his fears. When he arrived at the infirmary he finally slowed down, much to the relief of the healer vainly trying to keep up with him, and went immediately to the bed where Nephrite had slept when last he had visited the facility.

When he arrived at the side of the bed, Endymion found the covers had been thrown back, the pillow knocked askew – and a handful of black petals clung to the sheets. He leaned down and picked one up, frowning at it in puzzlement. In appearance it seemed like a rose petal, but no roses of this hue grew anywhere in the kingdom that he was aware of. How did it get here? What did it mean?

"We didn't touch a thing – only sent for you, your highness. And where Zoisite and Jadeite were, it's the same." The head healer on duty had arrived at the bedside without the prince being aware; Endymion started, dropping the petal again as he turned to regard the man. "The bedding disordered, and the same petals on the sheets. And only on their beds. Our other patients are untouched, and claim they did not hear or see anything."

"How could...what happened?" Endymion absently brushed his hands together, feeling the cold ball of fear only expanding within his heart. "Did they leave on their own?"

The healer only shook his head, worry writ large upon his features. "I cannot tell, your highness. My healers did not hear or see anything either – when they made their rounds an hour ago, the three of them were yet sleeping, their conditions unchanged, then on the next rounds discovered this."

Endymion frowned deeply, then held his hands out over the bed, palm-down, as he closed his eyes and concentrated. As he called upon his own earth-sense, he felt a miasma of darkness clinging to the area around where the Shitennou had been, a touch of evil magics that left a bitter taste in mind and heart. "Whatever it was that happened here," he murmured, "they did not go of their own choice. I am certain of it."

"Your highness?" The healer moved closer, glancing between the prince and the empty bed. "Do you...are you sensing something? Should I call for one of the mages?"

"The traces are faint." Endymion lowered his hands again as he turned away from the bed, shaking his head slightly as though he could dislodge the faint, lingering distaste the feel of that evil had left in his mind. "I don't know if they would be able to find anything useful from them, but...I suppose it couldn't hurt." He hesitated, then glanced around the room. Three of them had vanished. But the fourth – "What about Kunzite? Has anyone seen him?"

One of the healers stepped forward, anonymous in his white robes. "Your highness...he was here earlier, when Zoisite and Jadeite were brought in. But he left shortly afterwards and hasn't been back since."

Endymion took a step closer to the man, even as he again tried to reach out toward the eldest of the Shitennou; again, he felt nothing. No reaction. The bond was still there, but at the other end – just a void. It made no sense to him, and only increased his worry. "Do you know where he went?"

"I...no, I...but on his way out, he stopped by...by Nephrite..." The healer paused for a moment, hesitating thoughtfully before offering, "I heard the seer say something about the library. I think. Perhaps...lord Kunzite went there?"

"It gives me somewhere to start looking." Endymion managed to force a smile for the young healer, then turned it on the rest of those in the room as well. "Thank you – all of you – for everything you have done. You have my utmost gratitude."

With that, the prince turned away and strode from the room, fear hurrying his steps. Kunzite had been unaffected by this – this illness, whatever it was, the last he had heard. What could have befallen the man, the best and the strongest of the four, that would prevent him from being there now?

oooooooooo

Upon arriving at the palace library, Endymion found the door slightly ajar and entered, his heart suddenly beating faster, though he couldn't quite say why. Something was wrong, something was inexplicably _off_ in the feel of the room. He paced the central walkway, glancing around in search of anyone else, but found no one; not even one of the staff seemed to be around at the moment.

As he passed one of the reading tables, the prince thought he heard a noise behind him – a soft scuff of foot on carpet, perhaps – and turned, but found nothing there. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he paused, barely daring to breathe as he listened intently. After several long moments in which he heard and saw nothing more, he relaxed slightly; when he turned back to keep walking, though, he caught sight of a small volume lying open on the table.

Endymion hesitated, wondering if that had been there a moment before, then slowly moved closer. As he glanced down at the open page, he caught sight of his own name in the carefully precise writing there and frowned, lifting the book to read closer. This was a diary of some kind, he realized, and from the text, it likely belonged to the old priest of Elysion who had died several years ago.

As he read closer, though, Endymion suddenly began to feel ill. What was this? His guardians...bound by compulsions to be loyal to him? Chained by fetters unseen to do his will? The prince swallowed, hard, as he felt his gorge rising at the very idea. The four had always been his best friends, his closest companions – but was it only because they were _forced_ to be? The thought cast a sudden dark pall over his memories of their interaction, and he found himself dropping heavily into the chair beside him, allowing the book to fall unheeded from his hand into his lap.

This time it took him a moment to recognize the sound of approaching footsteps, so engrossed was he in his thoughts, but Endymion finally realized the significance of the noise and pushed quickly to his feet, turning to face the new arrival. As he saw who it was, though, his eyes widened in shock.

It was Kunzite – only not Kunzite as Endymion was accustomed to seeing him. The Shitennou's white and gold uniform was gone, replaced by one of shadowy grey, trimmed in silver; the russet cloak had likewise been replaced by a silvery-white one, affixed to the shoulders of his uniform by silver epaulettes. "Kunzite...?" Endymion took a step toward the man, relieved to see him alive and safe, and yet at the same time stunned and dismayed by the strange uniform and the cold look on his friend's face.

"Endymion." Kunzite's voice was emotionless, yet the simple lack of any title attached to his prince's name spoke volumes. "I see you found the diary." He paused for a moment, taking in the expression on Endymion's face, then lifted one pale brow slightly. "Was that information news to you, perhaps?"

"Of course it was!" Endymion dropped the book onto the seat of the chair, suddenly disgusted by the feel of it in his hand, if only for the words contained within the volume. "I swear to you, Kunzite, I knew _nothing_ of any compulsions. I would never have allowed such a thing to exist, had I been aware."

Kunzite took another step closer, his posture stiff and formal, left hand resting casually on the hilt of his sword. It was still his same sword, Endymion found himself noticing, the one given to him by the late king in recognition of his position as commander of the Shitennou. It belonged with the uniform he should be wearing; the gold-chased hilt seemed out of place against the shadowy greys and silvers of this new, strange uniform. "You would swear to that?" the Shitennou replied, still calm. Still void of any apparent feeling. "Your oaths do not hold much weight with me. Not any longer. Not after you betrayed those made to us and to your kingdom."

"I betrayed nothing," Endymion replied, confusion and incomprehension obvious in both voice and expression. "Kunzite, I...what are you talking about? And that uniform – what is going on here?"

"You betrayed your kingdom, your people, your kind. You abandoned them to seek comfort in the arms of your alien lover, to deliver our world into the hands of the moon kingdom." As he spoke, Kunzite slowly began to unclip his sword's sheath from his belt, his movements slow, almost formal. "Can you deny it?"

Endymion's hand closed into a fist at his side in sudden anger, his jaw tightening briefly as he sought control over his voice once more. These accusations were not new to him, but he was accustomed to hearing them from the rebel forces, not from one who had been his closest companion since childhood. "Of course I deny it," he replied, voice trembling slightly with suppressed emotion. "I love Serenity, yes. But – these claims that I intended to give them the kingdom? Kunzite, surely you know me better than that. You know I wish only the best for my people."

Kunzite slowly lifted his hands, holding the sword balanced across his palms before him, lying parallel to the ground. "Do I?" he asked, softly. "Or is that just what I was _forced_ to think?" The silver-haired man stood still and silent for a moment longer, then slowly tipped his hands and allowed the sword to fall to the ground.

Endymion could only stare in disbelief as it landed with a resounding clatter; he almost missed the final words he would hear from the man in this lifetime, so faint were they after the racket: "The oath is broken, the liege forsworn. No more will I be bound."

A chill wind arose, swirling around the prince until he was forced to shield his eyes; once he lowered his hand again Kunzite was gone, a handful of black rose petals scattered across the floor where he had stood.


	10. Chapter 9

The past several months had brought a wealth of changes, Kunzite mused, as he walked the pathways of the camp, his cloak pulled tight about himself against the chill wind. And all of it went back to that one night – that single, fateful night which had changed everything forever.

A pair of soldiers coming the opposite direction paused and stared at him with eyes wide for a moment, then quickly moved to one side to allow him to pass. Kunzite acknowledged them with a brief nod, ignoring their awed looks and whispers, and a faint scowl turned down the corners of his mouth as he passed.

Beryl had set the four of them to leading the armies she'd begun to form in the quarters of the kingdom, but truth to be told there wasn't all that much fighting to be done. Perhaps the people truly did want to stand with Beryl, perhaps their hatred of the moon kingdom truly did run so deep that they were willing to do anything for the promise that she might throw off its hold on them. Kunzite strongly suspected, however, that it was mostly due to the power of Beryl's ally – Metaria. The creature which the mage had encountered, with which she had struck her unholy bargain. The creature which had become interested in the Shitennou, had influenced them until it finally had all four of them in its power. As more had joined her forces, the dark entity had only increased in power, which in turn allowed her to reach out and influence more. If Metaria had once been bound in the cave where Beryl had first encountered her, she definitely was not now.

Kunzite's frown deepened, his stride lengthening slightly in silent expression of his internal anger, and he barely noticed the way his forbidding expression sent a handful of troops scattering, lest his attention should fall upon one of them. Metaria had changed them all, somehow – he was never quite able to pin down exactly _what_ the entity had done, but he could feel that something was different. He was different. And it was not just the removal of the geas, either.

His ties to the prince, to the earth itself – both were still intact, but modified. It took strong concentration to feel anything now, where once it had come whether he willed it or no. The connection between himself and his fellow Shitennou was still there, but...he tried not to pay attention to it very much, these days.

What had happened to his brothers and him had been entirely his decision. Kunzite himself had chosen, in the end, to submit them all to Metaria's power, with the realization of what it might cost them to do so. The others, however, were not aware of that fact, not as far as he knew; all he had told them was what he had discovered about the compulsion laid upon them, from which they had now been freed. But now every time he looked at them he felt the sharp edge of guilt for what he had done – would they, perhaps, have preferred death to this? He wondered sometimes if perhaps he should confess to them what he had done. Should they be angry, should they hate him for it...well, they could feel any more strongly than he already did.

But they had, fortunately for his peace of mind, been mostly separated for some time now, each working on his own separate campaign. But now, now they were all gathering once more, their armies converging from every quarter into the central region. And he would have to face them again, and try to convince himself that he did not see accusation in their eyes every time they looked at him.

Kunzite reached the command tent almost before he realized it, and after a moment's hesitation to gather his thoughts, he pushed his way through the flap. As he did, he felt the tingle of magic that indicated he had also stepped through a spell, and glanced toward the only other person inside the tent.

"I don't think I'll ever get the northern cold out of my bones," Zoisite observed, voice almost defensive as he noticed Kunzite's look. He was standing before a glowing brazier, holding his hands as close as he could bear to warm them. "I just set up something to hold the heat in."

The eldest Shitennou only nodded and removed his cloak, settling down into one of the chairs by the large map table. "Are all of us here now?"

"I only just arrived, myself." Zoisite moved away from his heat source and dropped heavily into the chair next to Kunzite's, letting out a long sigh. "I was quite glad to get the orders, though – I was starting to think I'd never be able to feel my feet again."

Kunzite met Zoisite's eyes for a moment, but then quickly glanced away again. The younger man had always been slender, deceptively frail and indolent in appearance, in manner like the useless, brainless noble courtiers that clung to the royal court like parasites – even though inside he was anything but. Ever since that day, though, he'd become...fragile. Brittle, maybe. Like one of the crystals he was so adept at manipulating, almost. It did serve to enhance his looks, though – undoubtedly he had his own large circle of admirers now as he'd had before. After realizing where his train of thought was going, Kunzite cleared his throat softly and leaned forward to examine the map. "The northern campaign went well?" he asked, more to distract himself than out of any real interest.

Zoisite nodded and likewise moved closer to the map, reaching out to tap a particular spot with one long, delicate finger. "The bulk of the army is still here, at last report, still marching to rendezvous with this group. I took a smaller force with me and went ahead, in order to make it on time. Winter arrived early up there, and all the slogging through snow and muck slowed us down." He frowned slightly as he looked at the parchment. "It was almost too easy, though. Everyone seemed quite eager to join us – we have only had maybe a handful of real battles against the royal armies. Most of the time, they all just showed up and surrendered. They were practically begging to join forces with the "sun queen"."

"Is that what they're calling her?" Kunzite lifted a pale brow slightly, his voice taking on a hint of derision. "Is she still hiding behind us? Does Beryl plan to step forward and lead them herself at some point, or are we supposed to do all the work?"

"When the time is right, she will. Which, if I am not deceived, is the reason she called this gathering." Nephrite had entered the tent unnoticed by either of the others, and Kunzite turned a frown on his younger brother. Though the seer's gifts were as strong as ever, he had finally emerged from his dream world and actually seemed to be paying attention to reality as much as he did the astral realm. It made for a strange change to see something other than dreamy vagueness in the man's eyes. Just at the moment, he was regarding the older man with chill indifference, which made Kunzite wonder – if anyone would know about what he had done to them all, it would be Nephrite. "I wouldn't have expected such impatience from you, Kunzite. Or has Queen Beryl done something to annoy you again?"

"Nephrite," Kunzite greeted him, coolly. "Queen" Beryl, was it? The younger man was always quite respectful of the woman, despite everything, and had even stood up for her against his brothers. Kunzite was never quite sure if Nephrite hadn't made his own private agreements with Metaria; perhaps it was just that the man had never bothered to make much of his shadow-manipulation abilities before, while he was so caught up in his visions, but now darkness constantly clung to him like a shifting, insubstantial cloak wherever he went, making it oddly difficult to watch him.

Nephrite slid his heavy grey cloak from his shoulders and lowered himself into a chair on the opposite side of the table, the faintest hint of amusement touching his expression. "Kunzite," he replied, matching the other's tone exactly. "As I was saying, I can't imagine another reason why the four of us would suddenly be summoned back to the central region, except that Queen Beryl is ready to make her move at last."

"In the winter?" Zoisite shivered dramatically and glanced toward the nearest brazier, as though to reassure himself it was still burning brightly. "Either she's confident the campaign will be over with quickly, or she has reasons to not care about the difficulty of waging war in the snow."

"Or there are other factors coming into play which require movement at this point." With a faintly enigmatic smirk, the red-haired Shitennou leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers under his chin. "I'm sure she'll explain once she arrives."

Jadeite brushed his way into the tent as Nephrite finished speaking, removing his helmet as he did; his cheeks were flushed from the cold outside, and droplets of half-frozen snow clung to his cloak. "Are we going to start soon, then? Good, because the weather's taking a turn for the nasty out there." He draped his cloak near one of the braziers to dry and negligently flipped the helmet into a corner before turning toward his brothers with a faint grin. Though the youngest of the four had always had a mischievous air about him, Kunzite had noticed that it had now taken on a harder edge – almost cruel in nature. Jadeite had been given charge of Metaria's non-human forces, which mostly seemed to consist of the sorts of nasty little youma creatures that the Shitennou would have been out hunting, in the past. He seemed, however, to relish the task, and sometimes Kunzite thought he'd begun to adopt some of the personality traits of his charges. "The last fortifications have been overrun, last I heard. I don't expect them to try to hold anything farther out than the capital itself."

Zoisite frowned slightly, turning to the map and examining the markers already laid out there. He hesitated as his hand hovered over one in particular, then lifted it and examined it carefully. "And the prince?" he asked, with forced casualness.

"Called back to the palace." After offering that bit of information, Nephrite closed his eyes, brow creasing in a frown at whatever vision he was seeing. "The queen is ailing. Not expected to see the snow fly in earnest."

A moment of silence followed that statement, as the three other Shitennou paused to look toward their brother. "Well," Jadeite finally said, breaking the silence as he pulled up his own chair to the table. "It does make our work easier. I think his presence was all that was keeping the army going as much as it was. Without him there, I suspect we'll have even more defectors in camp by morning."

Kunzite tapped his fingertips against the table idly, looking toward the symbol indicating the palace on the map. "It will be good to get this over with soon," he agreed, voice quiet. "I dislike fighting a war against my own countrymen. These are people we are supposed to be protecting, not killing."

"It _would_ be over already, if we could only get to the prince. Can't he see what this is doing to his kingdom? His people?" Zoisite slammed his fist down on the map table, making the markers dance across the surface. "He already betrayed us all to the moon people, has he not done enough damage?"

"Peace, Zoisite." Kunzite rested his hand on the other's forearm, and Zoisite glanced at him and subsided once more. "Perhaps it's not entirely his fault. The moon witch could very well have beguiled him. Blinded him with enchantments until he knew not what he was doing. While there is still that chance – perhaps we can save him from them."

A faintly derisive snort greeted that suggestion as Jadeite folded his arms across his chest, leaning back in his chair until the front two legs left the ground. "And supposing you're wrong, what then? How do you propose to save him from _himself_?"

"The time may come," Kunzite replied, softly, "when we have to make a choice. If we cannot break the spells on him, if we cannot persuade him to step down, then we have to save the kingdom from his folly. By whatever means necessary."

"A repugnant thought, to say the least." The seer's eyes opened again, their pale crystalline blue deepening to sapphire as he returned to reality. "No matter what else he might have been or done, he was still our friend."

Without acknowledging the comment, Kunzite rose to his feet again and began to pace the tent, one hand resting on the silvery hilt of the sword at his hip and the other lifting to absently toy with the button holding the front flap of his uniform closed. "We are almost in sight of the palace already – almost the entire kingdom is under our control. I had thought this would be enough to persuade the queen to step down, but if she is indisposed, the prince will be in command...and Endymion is obviously stubborn and foolish."

He halted suddenly, turning toward the tent flap; Beryl had appeared within the tent without a sound, and only the increased sense of Metaria's accompanying dark presence had warned them of her arrival. "The time to strike is now, while the queen is ill," the crimson-haired queen said, slowly moving closer toward her assembled generals. "The loyalists' attention is divided at the moment. We can take the palace, the last stronghold of the old monarchy, and then once the entire kingdom is united once more – we can move on to the moon kingdom. Their foul taint can be obliterated entirely, once and for all."

Kunzite had frowned at Beryl's first words, but as she continued, his brows raised in surprise. "You have the means to do that?" The rumors had spoken of such, but he had always thought they were nothing _but_ rumors, along the lines of the ones claiming Beryl could control the weather and raise the dead.

Beryl's lips curved in a slight smile as she regarded the silver-haired man. "Our great leader assures me that the way is within our reach. Nephrite has seen it – the way will be revealed once we reach the palace."

Apparently oblivious to the mention of his name, Nephrite only stared at the far wall of the tent, entranced by the flickering shadows cast by the braziers. Jadeite threw a somewhat dubious sidelong glance at him, then allowed all four legs of his chair to contact the ground again as he looked back at Beryl, respect re-entering his expression. "What are our orders, then, your majesty?"

"Proceed with your plans," Beryl replied with an indifferent shrug, moving closer and glancing down at the map table. She frowned slightly, reaching out to right one of the fallen markers before continuing. "Your tactics have worked well thus far, and I see no need to change them. Only get our forces into the palace before the full moon rises."

"That's only two days away!" Zoisite looked at the woman sharply, anxious worry warring with pride at her compliment as he did. "Why so soon?"

"I know you can do it." The queen stepped closer to the blond man, touching his shoulder lightly as she smiled down at him. "You have already proven your ability in the northern campaign, and now – your brother has seen us in control of the palace under the light of the full moon. You _will_ be successful."

Zoisite met her eyes and nodded slowly, halfway lifting his hand toward hers, but she only moved on again as though she didn't see it. "As you were, gentlemen," Beryl said, as she headed toward the entrance. "I still have some loose ends to tie up – I'll leave you to your work." She met the eyes of each of the Shitennou with a slight smile, then swept out of the tent again, leaving a draft of freezing air swirling behind her as the flap dropped closed.

"Zoisite." At Kunzite's sharp bark, the younger man shook himself, mild embarrassment replacing the open look of longing on his face; his cheeks flushed darker at Jadeite's smirk, but he otherwise pretended not to have noticed. "We, ah, have work to do, if we're to hold the palace in two days' time," Zoisite said, after clearing his throat quietly.

Kunzite nodded once, then looked toward the two across the table from them. "Nephrite. Jadeite. You know what to do."

Jadeite sighed dramatically and rose to retrieve his still-damp cloak. "I wish _I_ had the job that would keep me out of the cold," he muttered none too quietly, casting a glance back at Nephrite before he ducked out of the tent again.

Nephrite only greeted that comment with a faint snort, closing his eyes again and drawing in a deep breath as he calmed his thoughts. Zoisite watched as the seer dropped into a light trance, then cleared his throat again and glanced down at the map, setting the markers back in their proper places again. "I would be grateful for any suggestions you might have," he said, glancing sidelong toward the older Shitennou. "You are more familiar with the capabilities of the palace guard than I."

"Ah. Of course." Kunzite resolutely turned his mind toward tactical planning, focusing on the map before him with a deep frown. Despite his words earlier, he still wanted to find a way to save the prince – it would make it more difficult to plan, if he wanted to ensure that Endymion survived the attack, but he thought it worth it. Nephrite had been correct, he realized: no matter what else, the prince had treated the Shitennou as friends as much as guardians and advisors. He deserved the chance to be saved from the moon witch's enchantment.


	11. Chapter 10

Endymion sat at his mother's bedside, almost dully reflecting on how the scene was so similar to only a year before, when his father had been stricken down by his final, fatal illness. The curse. The fell power which had later taken away his four closest friends – or so he'd thought they were.

As the rebel forces had claimed more and more of the kingdom, Endymion had felt the same shadow taking hold of the land, influencing the hearts and minds of the people and adding to whatever darkness already existed there. Whatever they hated, whatever they feared, it was all increased in intensity. His people, those he was supposed to lead and protect, were now being used by this...this entity, this demon, against him. And somehow, it seemed that he was the only one who could see it, too.

Endymion abruptly scrubbed at his eyes, then raked his fingers through his hair and blinked at the wan light that made it through the windows. The late-autumn sun had hardly managed to give much light even in mid-day lately, not through the black clouds which had seemed a near-constant presence lately. He had been there longer than he'd thought and should get back to work; he did still have responsibilities, after all. More, in fact, now that his lady mother was ailing.

The prince slowly rose to his feet and glanced toward his mother's sleeping face, feeling a sharp pang at the sight. Her illness had been swift in its progress, and she was usually either asleep or feverish enough not to be aware of her surroundings. She likely wouldn't notice whether he was there or not. The healers bandied about arcane terms and theories, but none of their remedies seemed to help her – and those gifted with the healing power were all out with the army. One of the queen's last orders, when she first fell ill, had been to forbid that they be called back, as she insisted that her life was not worth more than that of one of the soldiers fighting for the kingdom. Endymion had understood the unspoken reasoning behind her order, as well; she had begun to fade after his father's death and never really recovered, and he supposed this was inevitable.

The hallways of the palace echoed hollowly with his footsteps as Endymion paced down the corridors. All those who could be spared, who were not absolutely essential to the workings of the palace, had been sent away in anticipation of the rebels' attack, for it was inevitable. They were moving closer every day, and he knew they no longer had the ability to stop them. The building seemed darker than before, though, and almost ominously silent.

He lifted one hand to where the latest letter from Serenity was concealed. She worried about him, he could tell – and to be honest, he was worried himself. How could he fight a war against a faceless entity that was able to turn his own people against him?

Endymion's expression grew grimmer as he pushed through the doors, hearing the buzz of conversation in the room, its tone sober, and saw the figures scribed on the slateboard propped against one wall. He could not help but see the hands of his former guardians in the victories of the rebel army – even if it weren't for their various gifts and abilities, the four had worked extensively with the royal army and knew well its capabilities and usual tactics.

"Your highness," the ranking general greeted him, as Endymion reached the map table in the center of the room. The prince managed to keep from wincing as he looked at the latest troop movements, arrayed in miniature on the table before him. The area still held by the loyalists was pitifully small – the castle and its immediate environs was still under their control, but otherwise...

"They will make their last advance soon," Endymion observed, feeling somehow distant from what he was seeing, calmly analyzing the situation even as his heart despaired. "How current is our latest information?"

The aide who had taken up a position hovering near the prince's shoulder quickly checked his report, frowning slightly at it before answering. "Ah...early this morning, your highness. The report arrived just after dawn."

Endymion's eyes narrowed as he considered that, then began muttering to himself, giving voice to his thoughts. "The full moon is tonight. If the weather clears...there will be light enough..." He hesitated a moment, then leaned forward for a better look at the notations of terrain around the last noted position of the rebels' command outpost.

Those around the table cast glances at one another over the prince's head, then quickly snapped to attention again as he straightened up again. "Evacuate all remaining civilians from the castle," he commanded, voice suddenly sharpening. "Immediately. I want them all out before full dark."

"But...your highness!" The aide glanced out the window, looking mildly stunned. "That's...there's not enough time!"

Endymion took a step closer to the man, looming over him with an unusually fierce cast to his expression. "Get them out," he repeated, voice icily cold. "Everyone that you possibly can. They will attack the palace soon. Likely tonight. And I will not have innocents hurt."

The general took one look at the prince's face and only nodded, taking hold of the aide's shoulder and physically turning him toward the door. "Get started," he ordered, then turned and nodded to his next in command. "Empty the palace. Alert the guards. See how much of the army can be spared to fortify th walls."

In the sudden flurry of activity that ensued, Endymion was an island of stillness. He rested his hands on the tabletop, leaning forward to rest his weight on them as he stared blindly down at the map. It seemed as though he could hear the paper of Serenity's letter crinkle as he moved, and he wondered for a moment if he would ever see his princess again. With a soft sigh, he put that thought from his mind; his priority at the moment was to those for whom he was directly responsible. He had to find the Shitennou – find them, and see if he could save them from the dark force that must be controlling them now.

oooooooooo

"They knew we were coming, it seems," Jadeite observed, pulling off his helmet to rake fingers through his hair as he watched the city walls. The setting sun silhouetted the figures on the walls, showing that the normal contingent of guards had been supplemented by many more, all of whom were lacking the ornate helmets of the mostly-ceremonial city guard, and appeared to be garbed in the uniform of the royal army.

Zoisite shrugged lightly, unconcerned, as he idly buffed an imaginary spot from his helmet with the edge of his cloak. "It was fairly obvious. It's impossible to hide that many troops, so they had to know we were quite close. It stands to reason that we would strike next for the palace, and no matter what else he might be, Endymion is no idiot."

Kunzite strode up to join the pair, face set in its usual frown. "Everyone is in position now. If you two are done with the idle chitchat, we're ready for you to take your places."

Jadeite scowled at his oldest brother and jammed the helmet back on again. "I'll see you inside the palace, then, Kunzite – as you tag along far behind me," he retorted, voice echoing hollowly within the helmet's depths. With a slightly melodramatic whirl of his cloak, he turned away and left the shelter of the wooded copse, striding off to join his troops – the group which was quite easy to find, because of the large space left around them by the human troops made uneasy by the presence of so many youma. Though they were aware that these were allies of their beloved "sun queen," the visceral fear of the creatures could not be so easily dismissed.

Although the youngest of the Shitennou simply shrugged off Kunzite's implied criticism, Zoisite only flushed and turned away in silence. He paused again as the silver-haired man laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, and glanced back at him.

"Be careful, Zoisite," Kunzite said, voice quiet. "And...if you should find the prince, let me know immediately."

"Of course." Zoisite hesitated a moment, as though he were about to say more, but he finally just turned away again. "You be careful as well, Kunzite," was all he said, as he paced back toward his troops, almost fussily arranging his helmet on his head, as though trying not to muss his coppery hair.

Kunzite watched him go for a moment, then quickly turned away as he heard the soft whisper of a footstep behind him. "You won't find him," Nephrite observed, his eyes seeming almost black in the dim light made darker by the shadows of the trees. "I do not see your stars intersecting again. Not tonight. Possibly not ever."

"What _do_ you see, then?" Kunzite asked, a little more sharply than he had intended.

Nephrite hesitated a moment, then shook his head slightly. "Darkness. Only...darkness." After another moment's pause, the man only shrugged and stepped back into the trees again, vanishing into the shadows.

Kunzite scowled, then abruptly turned on his heel and stalked off to take his position. No matter what Nephrite said or saw, he still intended to do his best to find Endymion. He had a duty, even now.

oooooooooo

The battle had been doomed from the beginning, Endymion had been aware, but he still remained determined to fight. Better that he struggle against this creature of darkness, to refuse it an easy conquest, to preserve his honor if not his own life. And yet, he mused, as he watched the rebel forces surrounding the capital city, that was an easy thing to say when you weren't forcing your subjects and fight and die for your ideals.

The prince drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment as he reached down to the earth, far below the palace tower on which he stood. The dark creature's taint flowed free, and the earth cried out with its advance; this gave Endymion the strength of will to do what he must. That, and the memory of his four guardians, for he imagined that they must be in similar condition to the earth, and in need of his help to free them of the entity's power.

As he opened his eyes again, though, he had to pause and blink to make sure he actually was seeing what he thought he saw: the main city gate now stood wide open, allowing the rebel forces to flood inside, heading directly for the palace at the center. "What happened there?" he asked sharply, turning to the mage at his side.

The man frowned slightly, eyes growing distant for a moment as he communicated with another of his brethren. "Someone got in behind the lines, somehow," he replied, once he focused back on the prince again. "The gate guards were overwhelmed, and the forces on the walls could not get there quickly enough."

"And they're likely to repeat the same trick at the palace walls, I imagine," Endymion observed, grimly. He absently checked the sword at his hip and turned away, heading for the stairs again. They should have planned for something of the sort, he realized, with an internal wince. This entire war had been characterized by betrayal from the beginning; treachery seemed the normal mode of operation for this enemy.

But now there was no more time for thought, for regret. The prince strode past the guards at the base of the tower, ignoring their startled queries. The new captain of his bodyguard fell into step beside him, and somewhat breathlessly tried to convince him to retreat, surrender, or otherwise not join in the battle, but Endymion only clenched his jaw and kept walking. At times like these he missed Kunzite more than ever; the leader of the Shitennou would simply have taken charge of the situation, and would have known his liege well enough not to try to persuade him to some foolish course of action like surrender. Against an enemy like this, there was nothing of the sort – there was either fight or die.

Realizing that reason would do no good, the guards simply formed up behind the prince, following where he led – which was directly toward the front entry hall of the palace. Endymion's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword as he walked. He was ready to meet those who would soon be entering. Ready to fight the war which he had started with his refusal to give into the darkness.

The halls of the palace seemed to echo unnaturally with his every footstep, though; he had never seen the place so empty in his entire life. Not even the still mourning after his father's death the year prior had left the palace feeling so silent. Everyone who could be evacuated had been, leaving only the military forces and their necessary support staff. Even most of the healers had left, accompanying the queen. Endymion had bid farewell to his mother mere hours ago, before they had entered the hidden tunnels leading under the city walls; the healers' robes should be enough to earn them safe conduct past any army. He hoped. But he was also very aware that he would likely never see his mother again, even if she had made it out safely.

Once close to his destination, Endymion came to an abrupt halt at the end of one hallway, waving for the guard contingent to wait. As they silently obeyed, he frowned in concentration, reaching out once more to his earth sense. As the enemy's advance brought darkness in its wake, there were several points that seemed darker than what surrounded them. Those, he thought, must be the leaders of the army – and most likely the Shitennou. Their bond with him was still blocked, so this was the only way he could think to track them, and he was determined to save them if he could do nothing else in this war.

They were approaching the entrance even now, he thought, converging from all directions. But even as he focused on them, a new taint suddenly flared into being – one that was much stronger than the four of them put together, and dark enough that he almost retched from the sudden flood of nausea that accompanied it. He heard his guards snap to attention around him, moving to surround him with weapons ready, and he drew in a deep breath and looked up to see what had happened.

A figure had arrived at the end of the hall, its form concealed by shifting shadows as much as by the thick cloak which enveloped it, and Endymion could feel the power of the dark entity emanating from it. Whoever this was, it was the source of the taint he had just sensed; if this was not the creature itself, this person was strongly influenced by its power.

Before any of them could react in any way, though, the cloaked person lifted their hands in a peculiar kind of twisting gesture – and instantly, all the guards collapsed to the ground, limp as puppets with their strings cut. The prince staggered back a step, swallowing hard to suppress a bout of nausea at the feel of the power as it sucked the life from those all around him, and yet left him untouched. He only barely managed to keep hold of his sword as he desperately threw up mental barriers, blocking himself off from his earth sense in order to regain his equilibrium in the face of this latest threat.

"So. Endymion. Finally, this game is over and done. Your kingdom is lost, and you stand powerless before me at last." Though at first the person's voice was overlaid with a harsh, almost metallic overtone, it slowly faded as she spoke, and Endymion stiffened as he recognized the speaker. His realization was confirmed as the figure reached up, pulling back her hood to reveal the mage Beryl, her scarlet curls out of their usual confinement and tumbling unbound down her back, her normally golden eyes shot through with pure black. "Did you truly never guess who was behind it all?" the woman asked, malicious amusement readily apparent in her voice. "Really, Endymion, I would have thought you more intelligent than that."

The prince slowly lifted his sword and pointed it at her, trying not to look as shaky as he felt inside. "Whoever or whatever you are," he said, voice firm, "I will not let you win. Even if it costs me my life, I will not let you destroy my kingdom. My people."

Beryl only laughed, throwing back the side of her cloak to reveal a sword at her own hip. "And you would challenge _me_?" she asked, eyes darkening to pure jet, as the other voice returned to overwhelm her own. "Your kingdom has fallen. Your people have abandoned you. You no longer have the power to stop me. I will rip out your heart, little prince, and use your power to move on to my true goal."

"The moon kingdom." Endymion's heart suddenly sank within his chest; he didn't need to look toward the windows to see the moonlight filtering in from outside. He should have realized, with all the anti-lunar sentiment being stirred up at the creature's instigation. He should have realized a lot of things, apparently, and wondered that he could have been so very blind.

"The moon kingdom," Beryl agreed – or the entity possessing Beryl, for it was hard to say how much of her truly was the woman at this point – and drew her sword with a venomous smile. "The moon witches, the guardians of the most powerful artifact in the entire system. One more step, and I have all the power I need."

 _Serenity._ Endymion was suddenly preternaturally aware of the locket hidden inside his pocket, the last gift he had received from his beloved. He couldn't allow her to suffer as he had, as his people had. His grip firmed on the hilt of his sword, and he stepped forward, jaw clenching with determination. "Then I must stop you from taking that step."

"Oh, _please_." With a look of utter disdain, the woman abruptly lunged at him, plunging the sword directly at his chest. Taken by surprise, the prince desperately wrenched himself out of the way, bringing his own blade down and just managing to parry the blow so that it only grazed across his chest, slicing through uniform and armor alike as though it wasn't there and leaving a fortunately shallow cut in his flesh. By some stroke of ill luck, however, it also sliced directly through the inner pocket containing the star-shaped locket, sending the trinket tumbling to the floor.

Forgetting everything else and the danger he was in, Endymion dove for the locket, closing his fingers about the cool metal just as it struck the ground; his thoughts were only of his princess, his need to protect her and anything associated with her from Beryl. Beryl herself, however, also grabbed for the locket after seeing his desperation, but was just a fraction of a second too slow. As her hand landed on his, a burst of incandescently bright light flared from the locket and the woman was forced to draw back, shielding her eyes in pain.

When the light faded again, Endymion had vanished, leaving behind a quickly-fading shimmer in the air where he had been. Beryl stared at the spot for a moment, then suddenly began to laugh – a distinctly unpleasant sound, inhuman and malevolent. "The way is revealed," she finally observed, reaching out a hand to hover in the air in the place from which he had disappeared, her eyes half-closing in concentration. "And you have shown it to me. I will be sure to thank you appropriately later, Endymion."

After a moment she heard footsteps behind her, and turned to find the Shitennou arriving out of breath, weapons drawn and almost identical looks of alarm on their faces. "The prince," Kunzite finally said, glancing around with a scowl. "Something...something just happened. Where is he?"

"Gone." Beryl lowered her hand again, sheathing her sword in one smooth motion as she turned back to face her generals. "It was the power of the moon witches – it drew him away even as I reached him. They have taken him."

"The moon...?" Zoisite glanced toward the full moon visible through the window nearby, eyes widening with shock. "They have taken him."

Jadeite shook his head slightly as he lowered his arms again, jamming his twin knives into their sheaths with more force than necessary. "Or he sought asylum with them willingly."

Kunzite's expression turned even grimmer, if that was possible, and he finally gave an abrupt gesture to the other three. "Come. We have no more time to concern ourselves with traitors."

"We have triumphed this evening, gentlemen," Beryl began, voice almost a soft purr, and the four paused to listen to her; Kunzite seemed annoyed to be overruled, but stayed silent. "Our work is not yet done, however. As I told you, the way has been revealed."

Her lips curved in a smile that held nothing pleasant in it. "Come first light, we move. The moon kingdom will fall before sunset tomorrow, and our world will at last be free."


	12. Chapter 11

There was a flash of bright light, a soundless explosion, and the feeling of movement even though Endymion thought he was standing still – then he suddenly staggered as vertigo washed over him, and when he reached out his hand encountered cool stone, carved in unfamiliar patterns.

He blinked the spots from his vision, then blinked again at the sights before him. This was most certainly not any place Endymion had ever seen before, of that he was certain. The structure he was using to support himself appeared to be an archway of some kind, but when he tried to really look at it he couldn't quite tell just how tall or wide it was, and was soon forced to give up trying before he became dizzy. As he glanced around, he realized that it stood alone at the edge of an otherwise open and empty plaza paved with white stones, which was in turn surrounded by tall hedges pierced only by a single exit.

The entire scene was lit by an odd blue-tinged light, and as Endymion raised his eyes skyward he suddenly felt his heart plunge into his stomach. Far larger than any heavenly body he was accustomed to seeing, a planet that he somehow immediately knew was the Earth hung in the sky above, glowing with a warm light that illuminated the moon.

The moon. The moon kingdom. Endymion glanced around himself, suddenly recalling what had happened before he inexplicably ended up here. He had to find Serenity – somehow.

As he cautiously glanced out of the opening leading from the plaza Endymion could hear the faint sounds of distant laughter and music, and for a moment anger washed over him. Up here the people of the moon were celebrating, while on the Earth below his people were fighting and dying, and the contrast between the two was more than painful. After a long moment he clenched his jaw, shook his head, and moved on. There was nothing to be done about that at the moment.

As he approached the main palace, he made his way along the pathways through gardens of amazing plants, flowers he had never seen before, carefully tended into arrangements that best displayed their beauty. He was blind to them, though, completely ignoring the colors and tempting fragrances as he hurried along the pathways, his attention firmly fixed upon his objective. When Endymion finally reached the outer edge of the palace proper, though, he hesitated and stepped back into the cover of the greenery. On either side of the entrances he could see stood uniformed individuals with halberds, their stances and expressions saying that these were not mere ceremonial guards. It did not seem terribly likely to him that they would just let him wander inside, not with his clothing and coloring proclaiming him to be an Earth native.

"Prince Endymion? What are _you_ doing here?"

Startled from his thoughts, Endymion almost lost his balance as he quickly glanced around for the speaker. He had not heard anyone's approach, and indeed could not see anyone now that he was looking.

"Ahem. Down here."

As Endymion obediently glanced downward, he found himself looking at a sleek white cat with bright blue eyes and a golden crescent mark on its brow, and froze in momentary confusion. "Please don't start any of that, "oh my, it's a talking cat," nonsense," the cat continued, in a brusquely businesslike tone. "There are more important things going on right now. Like, for example, _how_ you managed to get here. Not to mention why."

"Er." Endymion blinked several times, moving with an effort past the "talking cat" astonishment, and refocusing back on the urgency of his errand. "To tell the truth, I'm not entirely sure just how I got here – there was a bright flash of light and...well. But, I have to find Serenity. It's _very_ important."

The cat sighed quietly, tail flicking back and forth idly. "I'm sure it is, your highness, and while I can appreciate the lure of whatever romantic notions the pair of you have –"

"The Golden Kingdom has fallen!" Endymion interrupted the cat before he could launch into the lecture he seemed to have in mind, bursting out in sudden frustration. "The armies...the war, I...I know you're watching, but..." He hesitated a moment, uncertain. Rumors had always said that the moon people spied on the Earth, for whatever mysterious reasons of their own, but he wasn't entirely sure how much of that was actually true. Maybe he could give them the benefit of the doubt, assume they didn't know everything that was going on. "It turned out they were led by one of the mages, who struck a bargain with a demon of some kind – the two of them finally took the palace not an hour ago."

"What?!" The cat froze again, standing still as a stone for several long moments. He finally blinked, nodded, and vanished – replaced by a tall, white-haired young man, one who Endymion suddenly recognized. "Look, if you want to get into the palace, then what you're wearing...why are you looking at me like that?"

Endymion realized that he was gaping like a landed fish and quickly closed his mouth again, hoping that he didn't look as embarrassed as he felt. "I...you're the envoy who visited Earth last year. Artemis. But...how?"

Artemis rolled his eyes skyward and sighed again. "Because _that_ is the most important thing right now, isn't it. Look, your highness, I can give you a glamour that will get you inside the palace, but from there on you're on your own. Just...don't get caught."

"And what are you going to do?" Endymion asked, feeling ever so slightly encouraged at the offer of help, as much as it was. "I don't know my way around, can't you come with me and show me where to find the queen?"

"I'll find the queen, don't you worry." Artemis quirked just the slightest smile at him. "I'll give her your message so we can start making preparations, then bring her to find you so you can give her more details. But in the meantime, I thought you might perhaps want to steal a few moments with the princess. She'll be in the ballroom right now. Just follow your ears."

Endymion could hardly believe his ears, and found himself momentarily speechless. Artemis only winked at him, then touched his forehead with one finger; the prince felt the spell drift down over him and fall into place, and shivered briefly as the glamour took effect. He glanced down at himself and saw that his armor had been covered by the appearance of some kind of formal clothing, and his vision was now partially obscured by a half mask.

"That should get you by the guards," Artemis observed, frowning at him critically before giving a slight nod. "Stay close by the ballroom once you find it, and I'll lead the queen to you as soon as I can. Be careful."

The prince nodded slightly, then forced a small smile. "Thank you," he replied. "I only hope that my warning isn't too late."

"At least we _have_ warning." With that, Artemis dropped back into his cat form and darted off again, heading toward the palace. Endymion glanced after him, then squared his shoulders and moved after at a slower pace. Follow his ears, the cat had said. That shouldn't be too difficult – in theory, at least.

oooooooooo

He found her at the edge of the dance floor, surrounded by four women her age, each of whom was garbed in gowns of jewel-bright colors which stood out brilliantly against her own preferred white. The five of them stood just separated from the dancers whirling nearby, but seemed surrounded by an unseen barrier which kept others away, an unspoken wish for privacy which the others at the ball acknowledged and respected.

He, however, made his way up to the small group and held out his hand to the fair-haired princess, smiling almost shyly, as though apologizing for his interruption. "May I have this dance, your highness?"

Serenity glanced up at him, surprised, but found a smile as she placed her delicate hand in his gloved one. "Of course," she replied, graciously allowing him to lead her away from the sheltering company of her companions and out into the dance floor. "Have we met before, sir?" she inquired, as they took their places, waiting for the musicians to begin the next song.

"We have." Endymion felt his hands tremble slightly against hers, his heart aching at how far away he felt from her, even though he was so close. He longed to pull her into his arms, to see if her lips still tasted as sweet as he remembered, if her skin was as soft and as warm, and yet here in public he had to maintain the charade. The first strains of music wafted through the ballroom, and he swept her into the measured steps of the dance as he continued. "Many times, in fact. We met in a green and lovely rose garden..."

The princess' eyes widened as she recognized his voice, then narrowed as she focused on looking through the glamour he wore. Her eyes told her one thing, but her other senses disagreed; instead of the soft fabric of a sleeve, she felt the cool metal of armor under her hand. "Endymion! But...but how, what..."

Endymion's hand tightened slightly on hers as he shook his head, carefully maneuvering their movements to take them toward the edge of the dance floor. Earlier he had spotted a doorway leading out onto a balcony; there, he thought, they could speak, away from the crowds. "I had to find you, Serenity. I had to warn you. My kingdom...my kingdom is no more."

"By the powers...no." Tears welled up in Serenity's eyes as her fair skin went paler still, and she stared up into his face, searching. "The locket, then...it brought you here? It was not supposed to work unless you were in grave danger – are you all right? Injured at all?"

Remembering the instant the light flared, when Beryl's hand had touched his, Endymion felt his mouth twitch slightly in a grimly humorless smile. That close to the demon – he supposed that must have been grave danger indeed. "I am unhurt, my beloved. But I still had to bring you warning, and the queen your mother. They plan to come _here_ next, now that they have the Earth at their command. It was only the first step in their plans, it seems."

His careful guidance had taken them to the very edge of the swirl of dancers, and Serenity glanced toward the open door, recognizing it as their objective. The two of them casually drifted over in that direction, heading by unspoken accord to one darkened corner once out on the empty balcony. "Endymion, I..." Serenity paused, lifting one hand to rest against his cheek as concern filled her eyes. "I don't want you to leave again. I've missed you so, all these long months, and now...now you say that war is coming? Here? Our world has known nothing but peace for centuries."

"I know. I wish I could have come bearing better news – that I could have come only to be with you." Endymion lifted his own hand to cover her own, his other sliding around her waist and drawing her closer. "But my place is on Earth, not here. They are still my people, and I must do everything I can to save them – and the Shitennou. The enemy has taken them, too."

Serenity closed her eyes briefly and gave a light shudder. "Oh, Endymion. I know how much you cared for them...and I know I would do the same for my Senshi, should something happen to them. I just...I don't want to lose you." She sighed quietly, leaning in and resting her cheek against his chest, then froze for a moment. "Endymion...what's this?" Her hand slid down his chest, tracing lightly over the rent in surcoat and armor that she could only feel, not see.

He shook his head slightly, taking hold of her hand and gently moving it away. "A small scratch," Endymion replied, dismissing it as nothing. "I was fortunate to escape with so little, when so many fared worse. Serenity, I..." Now it was his turn to hesitate, words failing him as he met her eyes. Slowly, the two of them moved closer, he leaning down as she reached up on tiptoe, and their lips met in a kiss that spoke of their longing and love, though slightly bitter at the thought of parting again.

How long they spent in that blissfully endless moment, they were not certain, but it was finally interrupted by the sound of someone softly clearing their throat a short distance away. The two reluctantly parted and turned toward the source of the sound, then immediately both blushed brightly at the sight of Queen Serenity herself, with two cats at her feet. The white one gave Endymion a quick wink before returning to his previous serious expression, but the little black one only glared at him for a moment before hurrying up to settle attentively at the princess' feet.

"Prince Endymion." The queen's tone was neutral, and her expression as serene as always, but Endymion somehow still got the impression that she was less than pleased at his presence – and not just because of the news he had brought. "I have alerted the guards and my advisors, and they have begun their preparations. But what can you tell me of what we are facing? Do you know how they intend to make their way here from the Earth below?"

Endymion felt Serenity's hand take hold of his and squeeze lightly, and took heart from her silent encouragement. "Your majesty, I do not. I do know, however, that Beryl and...whatever force is behind her, are both very powerful. They have turned the hearts of my people – of my closest friends and advisors – against me, using their fear and distrust of you and your kingdom, turning it to fierce hatred. When they get here, using whatever means they have at their disposal, I fear for what they will do."

The queen nodded slowly, then glanced down toward the cat at her feet. "Artemis, tell Freya to gather everyone in the east room. Prince Endymion, if you will come with me, I would like to get some more information from you."

Endymion nodded politely and stepped forward, but when Princess Serenity moved to follow, the queen shook her head at her daughter and held up one hand. "Serenity, you and Luna go find the Senshi. Venus has already been informed of the situation and is waiting for you. Above all else, I want to make certain you are safe."

The princess seemed for a moment as though she would protest, but she reluctantly released Endymion's hand and stepped away, following the little black cat as it trotted back into the ballroom. She did cast several glances back over her shoulder before vanishing out of sight, and Endymion found it hard to remain where he was and not follow her. But still – there was work to be done. He turned back to face the queen and gave her a formal bow. "Your majesty, I am at your service. Whatever I may do to assist in your preparations, you have but to ask."

oooooooooo

Kunzite stood alone in the center of the empty throne room, staring at the pair of thrones on the raised dais without really seeing them. The grand hall was a thing of beauty in daylight, when the sunlight flooded the ring of stained-glass windows piercing the high walls, each one a masterwork created by artisans centuries before. Now, though, even the full moon's light only filtered wanly into the room, casting everything in silver and shadow.

He half-turned at the sound of footsteps behind him, irritation at being drawn from his thoughts leaving his expression fiercer than usual. It did not, however, deter the new arrivals, who continued their approach and stopped a short distance away. Nephrite and Zoisite. No sign of Jadeite, and this unusual occurrence drew the eldest Shitennou's complete attention. "What is it?"

"News." Zoisite lifted one hand as he spoke, showing a ring that glittered rich gold even in the dim light resting on his open palm. "Jadeite's forces, it seems, have no ability to tell friend from foe. Some of my men found them attacking a caravan of healers, who should have been given immunity by all rules of just and moral warfare. They drove the youma off and saved those they could, but one of those who did not survive..." His voice trailed off as he held the ring out toward Kunzite.

Kunzite slowly reached out and took the ring from him, turning it to see the sigil engraved upon its face, but almost dropped it as his fingers suddenly began to tremble. The quartered-circle emblem of Earth stared up at him almost accusingly – he knew this ring well, having seen it grace the king's finger each day of his life, and then the queen's hand after he died. "And Jadeite?" he asked, voice sounding almost distant in his own ears.

"He is too close to Metaria right now," Nephrite replied, lifting one shoulder in a half shrug as Kunzite glanced inquiringly in his direction. "I can see nothing in darkness."

Zoisite shook his head slightly, sadly. "My own people report no sign of him. I do not even know if he is aware what the youma did – it is entirely possible that he was not with them when it happened, and that is why they were allowed to rage unchecked. But why he would not be controlling his own forces..."

The silver-haired man closed his eyes a moment, then closed his fist around the golden ring, feeling its edges bite into his hand through his gloves. "The queen is dead."

"Long live the queen," Nephrite added, in a soft murmur.


	13. Chapter 12

The faintly eldritch glow of the Earth never faded over the moon kingdom, and Endymion vaguely wondered how they managed to keep track of time without the sun's passage overhead. He sat through endless-seeming meetings with Queen Serenity and her advisors, giving all the information he could about Beryl and her forces – information which seemed pathetically insufficient, when he thought about it.

What was the entity supporting Beryl? Where did it come from? What were its powers? He didn't know the answers to any of those questions, and though the moon people were always very polite and thanked him for everything he could give, he still felt that they were somehow blaming him for everything that had happened, for the attack on their kingdom that loomed in the near future. And to be honest, he wasn't sure if they were entirely wrong.

Perhaps it was partially because of that he felt a growing restlessness the entire time, an uneasy feeling that _this_ wasn't where he needed to be. This was not his home, and he could not help but feel that he was shirking his duties and had abandoned his people by just being there. By the time the meetings adjourned at last he could barely sit still, so when the queen graciously offered to let him stay he declined despite the late hour.

The faintest of frowns disturbed Queen Serenity's usually-calm expression when he did, and she gave him a look that seemed somehow concerned, but she accepted his answer without protest. She summoned one of the guards and ordered her to accompany the prince back to the plaza where he had first arrived, which he now knew to be the location of the Gate that allowed travel between the worlds. As he bowed in thanks and turned away, Endymion thought to himself with unaccustomed cynicism that the guard was also likely there to make certain he did not stray from the path, lest he find himself near the princess again.

His thoughts occupied him quite well on the walk back to the plaza, but when he finally reached it he returned to himself enough to give the guard a polite smile and word of thanks. She bowed her head equally politely in return and turned away, heading back toward the palace again, and Endymion glanced past the woman and toward her destination. He wished that he could have somehow at least said goodbye to Serenity before he left again, but it seemed it was not to be; it seemed, in fact, that destiny was determined that they would always be kept apart in one way or another. This time he was certain that he would never return to this beautiful place, and with the war raging and about to consume both of their kingdoms, he was not certain how they would ever manage to change that sad fate.

With a quiet sigh he turned away, entering the plaza and approaching the Gate with a heavy heart. He could see no resolution between his duties and his wishes, and he felt torn between everything that he should do that that which he wanted to do. Lost though his kingdom seemingly was, he still had a sworn duty toward it, and that was not something he could easily forget. No matter how much he might have liked to just throw it all aside for the sake of his beloved, things just weren't that easy.

So preoccupied with his thoughts was he that it took him a moment to realize when he'd reached the Gate, and he blinked at it for a moment before remembering the instructions he had been given. As it was right now, it was difficult for him to even look at the Gate, for it seemed to shift and writhe before his eyes, taking on a multitude of different forms and shapes all at the same time. He closed his eyes to block out the sight, and reached out one hand, feeling it come to rest upon cool stone covered with oddly-shaped carvings. As he had been instructed, he concentrated on his desired destination, and the memories sprang to the forefront of his mind with surprising ease: the gardens around the palace, the feel of the soft ground or the rock-strewn pathways under his feet, the touch of the soft spring breeze, laden with the scents of green and growing things, above all the bounteous crop of roses ...

The stone suddenly grew warm under his hand and he drew back slightly, a little startled, his eyes opening again. The Gate had ceased to shift form and was now an archway about the right size for two men to walk through shoulder-to-shoulder, with a soft greenish-blue light highlighting the carvings in the stone. The inside of the arch shimmered with rainbow light, like the surface of a soap bubble, but beyond that he could see moonlight shining down on his beloved gardens, bare though they were in preparation for the oncoming winter. The tightness in his heart eased slightly at the sight, and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he took a step forward.

At a faint sound from behind him, as of a footfall or the rustle of heavy fabric, though, Endymion quickly turned to face whoever had just arrived. When he did, though, he suddenly froze, hardly daring to believe his eyes. " ... Serenity?" he finally whispered, stunned.

The white-clad princess hesitated a short distance away, a faint blush staining her pale cheeks. "I slipped away after the others fell asleep," she admitted, simultaneously defiant and a little abashed. "I didn't want you to leave without ... without being able to see you again. To say goodbye."

After another moment of surprised hesitation, Endymion quickly stepped forward, closing the distance between them and pulling her into a fierce embrace, half-closing his eyes as he breathed in her soft, delicate scent. It could not be a dream, he told himself, not when it felt so real. "Serenity," he repeated, this time his tone almost worshipful. "I didn't want to leave, either. But I couldn't find a way ... I'm glad you came."

Serenity pressed herself against his armored chest, drawing in an unsteady breath as she squeezed her eyes tightly closed. After a long moment of that, she pulled back just a little and slowly tilted her head up to look at him, her expression unusually serious. "Endymion, I ... I want to go with you."

It took a second for her words to sink in, then Endymion shook his head once, looking stunned. "With – you want to go to Earth? _Now_?" He blinked once, feeling a sudden fear settle into the pit of his stomach. "Serenity, beloved, it's far too dangerous right now. I can't – I couldn't take you there. You need to stay with your senshi; they'll keep you safe."

"That's why I want to go," she replied, setting her jaw stubbornly. "I really can't do anything useful here. I'm _tired_ of hiding while everyone protects me – and if I'm not here when the attack comes, then the senshi can focus on fighting instead of having to worry about me. I can heal, and I can help you, and ..." Serenity hesitated a moment, blinking furiously as tears welled up in her crystal-blue eyes. "I don't want to let you go by yourself."

Endymion gazed at her for several long heartbeats, then lifted a hand and gently wiped away a tear that had escaped to cascade down her cheek. "I love you, Serenity," he replied, softly. "I couldn't bear the thought of you being in any danger. But I..."

He never got to finish the statement, though; a sudden sense of _presence_ warned him an instant before he saw the flash of movement out of the corner of his eye, a hint of color near the Gate where there had been none before. Without thinking, he tightened his hold on the princess and quickly turned, placing himself between her and what he somehow knew was danger without really seeing it.

As he did, a blast of energy struck his back, energy that stank of pure evil; this energy he recognized as that which had slowly corrupted his kingdom with its poisonous presence, and for the briefest instant he wondered how it had managed to follow him there. He felt his armor melt under its onslaught, fabric and skin crisping away in an instant as the power blasted through all of his defenses as though they were not there. Time seemed to freeze then, as he watched Serenity's eyes widen, a cry rising to her lips as he all but felt her heart break. He tried to speak, to say her name, anything, but he no longer had the strength. Darkness swept over his vision as he felt himself slowly collapse, and it closed about him as his ears rang with the echoes of Serenity's voice, calling out his name.

oooooooooo

It was quite late, and Beryl had already stated her intention to move at first light, and yet Kunzite found himself quite awake within the now-silent palace. He should have been long asleep, back in his quarters for the first time in months, but he instead sat at the map table in the war room, elbows resting on the table and chin on his steepled fingers as he stared unseeing at the tall chair at the head of the table.

He sensed Zoisite's presence a moment before he felt the man's hand come to rest lightly on his shoulder. "Are you ever going to go get some sleep?" The younger man's tone was a mixture of light teasing and real concern, and Kunzite was momentarily surprised by the unusual depth of true emotion he could hear in it.

"I could ask you the same thing." Kunzite straightened again, dismissing the thought as he lifted a hand to rake his fingers through his long silver mane. "What are _you_ still doing up at this hour?"

Zoisite only shook his head slightly, moving to settle in the chair next to his as he frowned at Kunzite with real worry in his eyes. "Something is wrong, Kunzite. Are you _that_ concerned about tomorrow?"

The eldest Shitennou hesitated for a moment, mouth drawing down in a deep frown as he considered his answer. "Not in the way you mean," he finally replied. "I believe our forces are strong enough to prevail – especially with the sheer amount of power backing Beryl. However she means to get us there, I believe she is right when she says that we will be able to destroy the moon kingdom."

"And so ...?" Zoisite prompted gently, when he fell silent again.

" _Should_ we be doing it?" Kunzite met Zoisite's eyes as he spoke, an uncharacteristic hint of doubt in his demeanor and voice. "They have never done aught but watch, never interfering, never doing anything overt against us. Never offered any sign of violence, even though with their power I'm sure they could have done so at any time."

Zoisite looked momentarily startled, and no little bit dismayed, but after a second scowled fiercely in sudden anger. " _Nothing_? Their princess secretly invaded our world, then bewitched and subverted our prince, turning him away from his kingdom and duties. You call that nothing?"

Kunzite nodded slowly, but the worry in his expression did not ease in the slightest. "But I have been thinking about it over the last months – we have _no_ evidence that she did so as an attack against the kingdom itself. And while such an assault on the king-in-waiting is a serious offense, it only justifies seeking retribution upon the one who committed the crime. It does not justify the destruction of an entire kingdom, and citizens who may very well be completely innocent of the whole matter."

"This isn't like you, Kunzite." Zoisite's tone was almost accusing as he stared at the other man with open disappointment. "If nothing else, we should go there to find the prince – whether to save him or to bring him back to face the consequences of his betrayal."

"Perhaps so. But I..." Whatever Kunzite might have had in mind to reply was lost, however, as the long-dormant bond suddenly flared to life, bringing with it sudden flood of excruciating pain – pain not his own, but almost as real nevertheless. The prince was under attack, he knew in that instant. Had been injured, and severely.

When his vision finally cleared and he slowly returned to awareness of his surroundings, Kunzite found himself collapsed against Zoisite, who was holding him tightly and murmuring near-incoherent reassurances in his ear. He tried to speak but found his voice only emerged in a hoarse croak; after a pause to clear his throat, he tried again. "Endymion ..."

"Kunzite!" Relief rang in Zoisite's voice as he carefully relaxed his hold, helping him to sit up again with almost exaggerated gentleness. "The prince ... I suppose we've forgotten to block against it, after so long without feeling anything ..."

Kunzite cut off the younger man's babbling with a vague gesture, then closed his eyes as he cautiously opened himself just the slightest fraction to the bond once more. "Endymion was attacked, and while still...he must still be on the moon," he observed, feeling vaguely annoyed at his own weakness and hearing that irritation creep over into his tone. "Did they lure him there only to betray him in turn?"

Zoisite's eyes widened at that, his face going suddenly pale as he realized something. "Betrayed him ... the prophecy! Remember, Kunzite, it said he would be betrayed by those he trusts the most, those closest to him. Could it – could it be the princess? If he thought she loved him, but she _used_ that ..."

"All I can sense is pain." Kunzite drew in a breath and opened his eyes again, expression turning grim. "But when the attack came, for just an instant, I saw – her. She was there. It could be that you are right."

oooooooooo

Nephrite stepped back from the doorway, carefully moving away without alerting the pair inside to his presence, then turned back and headed toward his own quarters. As he walked, he felt Metaria's presence in his mind grow stronger, warning him before she spoke: _Do_ _ **you**_ _think the moon princess was the one spoken of in the prophecy?_

"Of course not." A passing sentry glanced at him as he spoke aloud, but only nodded in acknowledgment and moved on; the red-haired Shitennou talking to himself was hardly unusual. Nephrite quirked a slightly wry grin at that observation, but any amusement faded quickly as he returned to the topic at hand. "It seems fairly obvious who was meant."

A sense of vaguely malicious amusement twined with Metaria's "voice" as she replied. _It does not bother you that you betrayed the one you were chosen to protect?_

Nephrite's jaw tightened for a moment, but he shook his head and replied calmly, "Of course it does. It means that I failed in my duty – I should have been able to protect him from the moon witches. We should have been able to save him, so that we did not have to allow him to betray all that we held dear – which forced us to protect the kingdom from _him_."

Metaria did not reply, which suited him fine; he paced the familiar hallways of the palace in pensive silence, his thoughts on the past and what the next day would likely bring. Though it was not exactly on the way, he found his steps taking him to the throne room, and he paused in the open doorway, gazing at the dais at the far end of the hall. He clearly remembered that day, all those years ago, when he and his brothers had accepted their destinies, though they barely understood what it meant at the time.

Fate had called the four of them to be protectors of the prince, in preparation for the day when the foretold danger came. And yet, it was partially because of them that he was in such danger at this time. Nephrite breathed out a long sigh and turned away again. Perhaps there was still hope. Perhaps they could save the prince from the moon people, free him of their influence, and still fulfill their vows. Though he could sense through their bond that Endymion was badly injured, he knew the prince yet lived, and instead of blocking out his pain Nephrite allowed it to stay a constant presence in the back of his mind; it was both a reminder of what he must do and a punishment for what he had done.

If he failed once again to save Endymion, however, they had at least kept the Golden Kingdom free from the encroachment of the moon people, and that, at least, was something to be proud of. They had chosen their devotion to the kingdom, to the planet, above that of their own personal wish to protect their prince, their friend, no matter how hard that might be. Duty had to come above their own wishes.

Nephrite finally returned to his quarters to attempt to return to his interrupted sleep, forcing himself to push his gloomy train of thought from his mind for the time being. He needed as much rest as he could get before morning. Before the final battle in this war. After that, he hoped, the fighting would finally be over at last.


	14. Chapter 13

The moon people had apparently been awaiting their arrival, and had also summoned all the allies they could muster; when the portal opened, it revealed an assortment of soldiers in not only the white-and-silver of the lunar guards, but a rainbow of uniforms denoting troops from the various other planets in the system. Though they ranged in force, attempting to block access from the Gate to the rest of the moon kingdom, the Terran forces were prepared.

Beryl had to stay behind on Earth, saying that she had to anchor the Gate on that end until the army had crossed over, but the Shitennou were ready to take command. Jadeite sent his youma through first, as they were not only the best against what magics the enemy forces might wield, they were also the fiercest and most frightening of the forces the Earth had to bring to bear. As the armies of the Silver Millennium were forced to give way before their onslaught, the regular human troops, led by Kunzite and Zoisite, moved through the Gate, eager for a chance at their long-hated, long-feared enemies on the moon. The moon people were not so frightening now, once they were only a step away, and once they showed themselves quite able to bleed and die.

They were also highly outnumbered by the Terran forces, and with as unused to war as the Silver Millennium was, no matter how well trained and well drilled their soldiers were, they were no match for the battle-hardened troops that flooded through their Gate. The lunar forces were pushed back, and back farther still, as the ugliness of war stained their pristine kingdom, as their kind were felled one by one by the raging mob Beryl had unleashed upon them.

oooooooooo

He floated in darkness, buoyed in a sea of delirium and pain. Around him he could hear voices, echoing in his ears and mind, but found it hard to focus enough to comprehend what they were saying.

"Endymion? Endymion!"

Endymion. That was his name, he finally recalled. And he knew that voice, knew it enough that the agony in it made his heart ache.

_Descendant of kings, keeper of power. Last of your line. When you are gone, I at last will be free. Revenge is indeed sweet._

Insidious and tinged with poison, that voice crawled through the recesses of his mind; all he wanted to do was shy away from it, hide deeper from consciousness to avoid it. But then the first voice called again, and he felt a gentle touch on his cheek, a soft hand cool against his fevered skin.

He slowly forced his eyes open in response, seeing through the haze before his eyes his princess' face, streaked with tears and blood. Endymion tried to speak her name, to say something, anything to her, but all that passed through his cracked lips was a hoarse croak.

"Endymion!" Her tears flowed fresh again at even that sound, and she leaned closer to him – but she abruptly vanished from his field of view, replaced by a visage he knew all too well.

Beryl's mouth was twisted into a feral, cruel smile, her eyes filled with triumph. "You have failed utterly, prince," she purred, sharp fingernails raking a trail across his skin, leaving lines of scarlet blood behind as wounds re-opened. "The armies of Earth even now overrun the moon kingdom at my command, led by your former guardians. And your princess is in my hands, with you too weak to even lift a finger in her defense." She leaned in closer, her lips close to his ear, breath washing hot over his skin as she whispered, "You could have been at my side, Endymion. But I have to thank you for refusing – your foolish choice only made it easier for my plans to succeed."

Endymion struggled to move as Beryl straightened again, trying to regain control of his broken and weak body, but he found he could only watch in helpless despair as she raised her hands, lifting a sword – his sword, he realized – above him. With a cry of wordless triumph, she jerked her arms downward again, sending the sword plunging through his chest.

Pain exploded through him with the impact, white light flaring in front of his eyes as his ears rang with the sounds of Serenity's screams. His final thoughts were of her, and the others he had failed to protect – his Shitennou, his people, his kingdom – and as his heart wept, the prince of Earth breathed his last.

oooooooooo

As the battle reached a momentary lull, Jadeite crouched to clean his blade on the tunic of his fallen opponent, glancing around as he did so to survey the area. His youma had advanced well ahead of the human troops, and by now had pressed almost to the very steps of the palace itself. Their success should hopefully make up for whatever lapse had occurred the night before; he honestly couldn't recall anything of it, but his brothers had been quite displeased with him about the attack on the healer's convoy.

Actually, to be honest, Jadeite wasn't entirely certain _what_ had happened the night before. The evening was all just a hazy blur in his memory, and he wondered if perhaps he'd had a little too much to drink at a victory celebration or something. All he could remember was the oddly vivid and disturbing dream he'd had, which had stuck with him ever since he awoke; in the dream he had been a child again, searching vainly for Endymion in a game of seek-and-find, and though he had called and called and begged for him to come out of hiding, the prince had never answered.

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, he rose smoothly to his feet, thinking to call his force back into order, that they might re-group before they moved onward. Even as he opened his mouth, though, he was hit by a wave of dizziness, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, followed by a wrenching emptiness and despair.

oooooooooo

Zoisite made his way across what had once been a carefully tended garden, its once gleamingly white walkways now stained with blood and youma ichor, its beds now littered with bodies lying strewn amid the broken flowers. He stepped over the limp form of one of the moon kingdom's soldiers with fastidious care, pausing at the side of the silver-haired figure standing still and straight at the edge of the carnage.

"Their fighters are making a last stand in the palace," Kunzite observed, after a long moment of silence. "But desperation is making the fighting fierce indeed. According to the information I've been given, four young woman – almost children – are the main force holding our armies at bay."

Zoisite nodded once, then arched his brow slightly as he noticed flickers of lightning rise above the walls around the palace. "Witches, then. Jadeite's youma?"

Kunzite frowned just slightly, as though in vague irritation. "I sent the messenger in search of him as soon as I heard what he had to say. Once we find Nephrite again, the four of us should be sufficient to deal with ... the children."

"I think that – " Zoisite's words choked off in his throat, his eyes widening as he felt a moment's dizziness, a wash of nauseating vertigo and a sudden void of grief and emptiness in his chest. He staggered, unbalanced by the sudden sensation, and felt Kunzite catch him, holding him steady until his own legs would support him once more. Zoisite finally looked up at him through tear-filled eyes; the eldest Shitennou seemed as impassive as ever, but Zoisite knew him well enough to notice the set of his jaw, the anguish in his eye that would be invisible to most. Though he would not willingly show such, he had obviously felt the same thing.

oooooooooo

The stars' voices were much clearer out here, Nephrite had noticed as soon as he stepped through the Gate and set foot on the moon's surface. They were both clearer and stronger, so much so that it took a constant effort of will for him to _not_ listen, though it remained a constant irritation and temptation in the back of his mind.

Fortunately, he remained removed from the main body of the army, not involved directly in the battle; as a seer, his task was to direct the forces as needed, sending those who arrived through the Gate to where they were or would shortly be needed the most. As it was, his position was still threatened several times by enemy forces, and he had more near misses than he liked to think about as his attention was drawn from what he was doing toward the celestial voices above.

By the time the last Terran fighters had made their way through the Gate, the sounds of fighting had grown distant. Nephrite dispatched his last messenger to find Kunzite, then left his position at las, drawn by the vague knowledge that it was time for him to move. As he made his way through the outer edge of the palace complex, he frowned slightly at what he found; the Terran army had worked itself up to such a frenzy in their hatred that it had become an unthinking, bloodthirsty mob, bent on the utter destruction of those who were their enemies. No matter how much he disliked and distrusted the moon people, such wholesale carnage as he was finding was ... disturbing, to say the least.

It was quiet right here now, though, the fighting having well advanced by now. Nephrite could, however, sense someone wielding strong magics, magics unfamiliar and alien in feel, and he headed toward its source. This was stronger than anything they had encountered thus far, and he realized it must be the four defenders he had seen before the palace. This, then, would be the battle he and his brothers were there for: four guardians against four guardians, though those of the Silver Millennium were hardly more than children.

Nephrite paused, half-closing his eyes as he reached out toward his brothers, trying to see where they were. As he opened his senses, however, he felt his heart shatter within him; he was in an instant flooded with a dark tide of pain and cold, and involuntarily dropped to his knees as he was overwhelmed by it.

oooooooooo

As one, the four men spoke the same words, even separated as they were across the moon kingdom: "Endymion is dead."

How they knew this, they did not stop to question. But they all immediately knew what it was they must do.

oooooooooo

Jadeite turned away from his youma, leaving them to rampage as they would, and went in search of the closest of his brothers. He found Nephrite crouched on the ground, eyes washed clean of color until they were nearly white; as he approached, though, the seer glanced up at him, color returning to his eyes until they were their normal sapphire once more.

"You picked a hell of a time to have a breakdown," the younger man remarked, sarcasm covering the flicker of concern as he none-too-gently took hold of his brother's arm to help him to his feet again.

Nephrite blinked several times, then shook his head once to clear it as he regained his equilibrium. "Endymion ... "

"Yes, I know," Jadeite replied, cutting him off. "Come on. We have to go now."

oooooooooo

"They have killed him." Kunzite's voice was glacially cold as he carefully released Zoisite's arms again, straightening up and resting a hand on his sword's hilt. "The others are moving, Zoisite. We need to join them. It is time to end this. Now."

After a moment's hesitation, Zoisite finally cleared his throat softly and set his shoulders, lifting his chin in determination. "Yes," was all he said in reply, his voice soft but firm.

oooooooooo

Nephrite and Jadeite together approached the series of wide, shallow steps that led to the grand front entrance of the moon palace, somehow knowing that their other two brothers were following not too far away. As the Shitennou were about to ascend the first step, however, two young women stepped out to bar their way – both barely out of childhood, from the looks of them, and clad in outfits that would have been considered scandalously skimpy on any proper Terran woman.

"Minions of darkness," the dark-haired one declared, resting a hand on her hip as she glared at them in fierce defiance," you shall not defile the sacred halls of the palace."

Her green-clad partner only smiled at them, baring her teeth in a vicious grin as flickers of lighting played over her hands. "Leave now – or let your corpses be carried away later," she added, her eyes daring them to attack.

Though he was almost impressed despite himself by their courage against such odds, Nephrite only shook his head slightly and continued his advance. Beside him, Jadeite gave a sharp bark of laughter as he also moved up onto the first step. "At least they're willing to give us a good view," he observed under his breath, eyeing the girls' nearly-bare legs.

His amusement quickly faded, though, as the pair attacked together, fire and lightning lashing against the shields the two men hastily erected in defense. In the face of their attack, the Shitennou were quickly forced to reassess their opponents. Young though they might be, they were obviously quite powerful.

Drawing on their own Earth-born powers, Nephrite and Jadeite attacked in turn, but as they battled against the lunar warriors, they discovered that the four of them were well-matched in power. And, as Nephrite felt the ends of his hair crisp at a near-miss from a fireball launched by the black-haired warrior, he was forced to admit that they _might_ just be stronger.

But then – both girls' attacks suddenly cut off, their eyes going distant as their arms dropped slack at their sides. A multitude of voices, seemingly from everywhere at once, and echoed by the pair of warriors, cried out as one: "The princess is dead!"

Despair washed over the warriors' faces, their ready stances relaxing in their grief. Taking immediate advantage of their distraction, though, Jadeite scooped up a spear dropped by a fallen soldier and launched it at them with all the power he could muster. The green-clad warrior gasped, dropping to her knees as it drove through her abdomen, but immediately her head snapped up again; the gem on her tiara flared with incandescent light, and despite her growing weakness the girl threw a bolt of energy at the blond Shitennou that all but obliterated him where he stood.

Nephrite gaped at her, stunned for an instant, mind reeling with the shock of his brother's death, then with a snarl reached out one hand. Nearby shadows flowed across the ground at his silent command, and when he closed his hand, where there had been empty air an instant before, Nephrite now gripped a sword made of pure darkness. He lunged forward, in an instant driving the dark blade through the brunette's throat, then in one smooth movement ripped it free and plunged it again into the chest of her companion, the girl's half-formed attack sputtering to embers as he did.

"For my prince," Nephrite hissed, glaring at her with his face mere inches from her own. "For my world. And for my brothers." He twisted the blade once, but found no satisfaction from her pained gasp; he turned away, letting the blade return to the shadows from whence it came. The fire warrior slowly collapsed to the stair on which she stood, crimson staining her clothing even darker red and staining the white stone.

Dismissing her from his mind, Nephrite stepped over the girl's body, moving onward into the palace. As he tried to move on to the next step, however, he felt something catch his leg; he stumbled, glancing down in surprise, and found the girl's gloved hand clinging to him with what must be the last of her strength. Her lips parted, a crimson thread of blood dribbling down her chin as she whispered something he could not hear – and then his world turned to fire and pain, then nothing at all.

oooooooooo

As Kunzite and Zoisite approached one of the entrances to the palace, they abruptly found themselves engulfed in a freezing fog, thick enough they could each barely see the other. By unspoken, instinctual agreement, the two men quickly darted to either side even as a bolt of golden energy struck the ground where they had just been standing.

Zoisite scowled, concentrating as he reached out into the fog with his power; after a moment it disappeared as a multitude of tiny ice crystals pattered to the ground, revealing a rather startled-looking girl in a short blue uniform. In one smooth movement, Kunzite drew his sword and attacked her – but found his blade blocked by a faintly glowing golden chain held by another girl, this one blonde and dressed in orange.

The blonde girl broke the momentary tableau by abruptly ducking back and lashing out with the chain, wielding it like a whip as she attempted to disarm the silver-haired Shitennou. Kunzite almost disdainfully parried her efforts, though, and stepped into battle with an eagerness that surprised him. Hopefully this would prove to finally be an opponent worth fighting, even if it was a mere slip of a girl.

In the meantime, Zoisite once more dissipated the blue-clad girl's attempt to call up a blinding fog, attacking in turn with a volley of razor-sharp crystal shards. The girl quickly threw a blast of ice that entrapped them, sending them clattering to the ground, but as she was distracted by them he called another crystal into being – from behind. The ice warrior gave a choked gasp as the shard drove through her back with sufficient force that she staggered forward, then dropped to her knees as she found her legs could no longer support her.

"Mercury!" The blonde girl cried out in momentary distraction, but was forced to quickly turn back again to block Kunzite's blade as it passed perilously close to her. Satisfied that the other would not be able to interfere, Zoisite stepped forward, critically eyeing his fallen opponent. He crouched closer to check to see if he needed to make a final blow to finish her off – but quicker than he would have thought possible, the mortally wounded girl reached up and caught hold of his sleeve in a fierce grasp. Before he could react, her other hand lifted toward his chest, a blade of ice forming just in time for her to drive it through his heart.

 _How appropriate_ , Zoisite thought vaguely, staring in numb shock as the girl dropped back again, her final strength spent. He half-turned toward Kunzite, reaching out one hand before he, too, was overcome, and slowly collapsed beside the ice warrior.

As he saw Zoisite crumple to the ground, Kunzite felt something snap inside of him; with an incoherent roar he channeled the magics he rarely bothered to access, sending a blast of raw power toward his opponent that knocked the smaller girl back and slammed her into the palace wall. She slowly slid down the wall to collapse at its base, stunned, but the eldest Shitennou hardly even noticed.

He closed the distance to Zoisite in an instant and dropped to his knees beside him, then froze, shoulders stiffening as he felt Jadeite die not too far away. The guilt he had been carrying multiplied exponentially, and Kunzite felt his hands shaking as he gently gathered Zoisite into his arms. His fault. His brothers were dying because he couldn't protect them. Because he had forced them into Metaria's service. "Zoisite," he whispered, voice uncharacteristically hoarse. "Zoisite, no..."

The dying man slowly focused on him, then flinched as they both felt the shock of Nephrite's death wash through them. Zoisite drew in a shuddering breath, the sound accompanied by a sickly bubbling sound in his chest, and weakly forced the words, "Kunzite ... up to you." Even as he tried to speak one more time, though, he went limp in Kunzite's arms, his final breath rattling in his throat as words died unspoken on his lips.

The silver-haired Shitennou, now the last of four, only stared numbly at the body in his arms for endless moments. Slowly, ice formed around his heart, spread through the rest of him until it solidified his resolve. He very carefully settled Zoisite back on the ground, arranging the younger man's hands over his chest until they concealed the wound that had taken his life, then rose to his feet once more.

Even as he stood, the orange-clad warrior was also struggling to her own feet, and as their eyes met they both recognized the other's expression. Each was the last survivor of their group, and each was equally determined to see that their fallen comrades had not died in vain. His lip curling in a silent snarl, Kunzite lifted his sword and lunged at the girl, even as she gave a wordless cry and rushed to meet his attack.

oooooooooo

Metaria paced slowly across the courtyard, almost daintily avoiding the bloodstains and scattered weapons as she approached the palace; her objective was, as always, the crystal of power that she could sense within, guarded by the moon queen.

The dark entity noted the bodies of her erstwhile allies lying where they had fallen in battle against the guardian senshi, and smiled just slightly as she passed them. They had proven to be quite useful indeed, in the end.


	15. Epilogue

Though Queen Serenity prevailed in the battle against the dark entity Metaria, the victory did not come without price to those who remained back on Earth. While humankind escaped total destruction, cataclysmic destruction was triggered when the demon was sealed once more in the darkness beneath the planet's surface, which nearly wiped out civilization as they knew it. The Golden Kingdom was no more, and its crumbled ruins only remained to mark Metaria's tomb. Even that vanished from sight in time, as the climate shifted, leaving it locked in frozen storm forever.

The former glory of the kingdom of the Earth passed into legend, while the moon kingdom vanished from history entirely. Scattered kingdoms rose and fell on the face of the green planet, until finally the day came when Queen Serenity's dying wish was fulfilled, and the children of the moon were reborn.

The moon princess, her love, and her court all walked the streets of a modern city, completely unaware of each other and of their past, of their powers and destiny.

But there were also four more who were born into that time, unable to rest until they fulfilled the oaths they had broken millennia before. And so they found themselves always searching for something they could never name, drawn to the same city without realizing it. Unconsciously drawn by ancient vows, sealed by powerful magic, they ever sought the one to whom they were bound.

 

 

 

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 **Author's Note:** If I'd known what I was getting into when I started this 'fic, I'm not sure I would have started! It was my first real foray into the world of fanfiction, though, and I like to think it turned out okay.

And I'd like to thank my beta readers, and all those who actually read all the way through – especially those who kept leaving me reviews encouraging me to finish. Please note that while _this_ story has been completed, the "deleted scenes" have not – if I feel the need to write something else in this universe, I'll stick it in there.

Hopefully I will continue to improve, so please stick with me as I work on new projects. :)


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